University of Minnesota Athletics
Tuesday, March 19
Malibu, CA
5:00 PM
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Pepperdine
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Photo by: Bruce Kluckhohn
Gophers Drop Heartbreaker to Waves after Comeback
3/19/2019 9:21:00 PM | Baseball
Minnesota scored six runs in the ninth to take a 12-11 lead before Pepperdine won 13-12 on a walkoff single.
MALIBU, Calif. -- The University of Minnesota (5-13) baseball team scored 10 runs in the last two innings to take a 12-11 lead before losing 13-12 at Pepperdine. The Gophers hit three home runs, including two in the eighth, and scored all six of their ninth-inning runs with two outs. The Waves (9-7) equaled the Gophers' 14 hits and won on an RBI single up the middle by Billy Cook.
Eduardo Estrada, Jr. hit 4-for-4 with two home runs, a double, three runs and two RBIs. Easton Bertrand hit a three-run home run, his second of the season. Jordan Kozicky was 3-for-5 with a bases-clearing double in the ninth. Cole McDevitt pinch hit and gave the Gophers their 12-11 lead by driving in Kozicky.
As they had in every other game on their California road trip, the Gophers scored first. Eli Wilson hit a double off the left field wall, and Max Meyer singled through the right side for a 1-0 Minnesota lead.
The Waves loaded the bases with no one out in the bottom of the inning with a single and two walks. All three runners scored, on an RBI grounder and a double. Pepperdine added another run on a single after Brett Schulze relieved Sam Thoresen, making it 4-1 before Schulze struck out the last batter. Schulze picked up a season-high four strikeout in 2 1/3 scoreless innings, allowing two hits.
Estrada led off the fourth inning with his second home run of the season to cut the deficit to 4-2. Minnesota kept Pepperdine off the scoreboard for five innings after the four-run first. After Schulze, Jeff Fasching came in for two shutout innings and two strikeouts. Nick Lackney tossed a 1-2-3 sixth and had one on and one out in the seventh before Pepperdine added two more base runners on an error and a single.
The error in the seventh cost Minnesota several runs. A potential double play grounder with one out resulted in no outs after a drop, and the Waves scored five unearned runs after that play to make it 9-2.
Minnesota struck back with two home runs in the top of the eighth. Wilson walked and Meyer reached on an error before Bertrand's three-run blast to center field. Estrada came up next to hit his second homer of the game to right, trimming the Waves' lead to 9-6. Pepperdine added two runs to its lead in the eighth to make it 11-6.
The Gophers rallied in the ninth. Chase Stanke singled and scored on a wild pitch. Ben Mezzenga walked, and Meyer singled to load the bases with one out. The Waves got the second out before Stanke scored on a wild pitch. Estrada walked the bases loaded again, then pinch hitter Gabe Knowles walked with the bases loaded to score Mezzenga and make it 11-8. Kozicky then doubled in three runs to tie it and scored on McDevitt's pinch hit double to give Minnesota the lead.
Darkness was falling at Eddy D. Field Stadium as Pepperdine batted in the bottom of the ninth. The Waves tied the game on two singles. With two outs, another Pepperdine batter reached on error, then the lead runner scored on a single up the middle to end the game.
The Gophers will open Big Ten play with a three-game series at Penn State this weekend. First pitch on Friday, March 22 is scheduled for 3 p.m. CDT.
Eduardo Estrada, Jr. hit 4-for-4 with two home runs, a double, three runs and two RBIs. Easton Bertrand hit a three-run home run, his second of the season. Jordan Kozicky was 3-for-5 with a bases-clearing double in the ninth. Cole McDevitt pinch hit and gave the Gophers their 12-11 lead by driving in Kozicky.
As they had in every other game on their California road trip, the Gophers scored first. Eli Wilson hit a double off the left field wall, and Max Meyer singled through the right side for a 1-0 Minnesota lead.
The Waves loaded the bases with no one out in the bottom of the inning with a single and two walks. All three runners scored, on an RBI grounder and a double. Pepperdine added another run on a single after Brett Schulze relieved Sam Thoresen, making it 4-1 before Schulze struck out the last batter. Schulze picked up a season-high four strikeout in 2 1/3 scoreless innings, allowing two hits.
Estrada led off the fourth inning with his second home run of the season to cut the deficit to 4-2. Minnesota kept Pepperdine off the scoreboard for five innings after the four-run first. After Schulze, Jeff Fasching came in for two shutout innings and two strikeouts. Nick Lackney tossed a 1-2-3 sixth and had one on and one out in the seventh before Pepperdine added two more base runners on an error and a single.
The error in the seventh cost Minnesota several runs. A potential double play grounder with one out resulted in no outs after a drop, and the Waves scored five unearned runs after that play to make it 9-2.
Minnesota struck back with two home runs in the top of the eighth. Wilson walked and Meyer reached on an error before Bertrand's three-run blast to center field. Estrada came up next to hit his second homer of the game to right, trimming the Waves' lead to 9-6. Pepperdine added two runs to its lead in the eighth to make it 11-6.
The Gophers rallied in the ninth. Chase Stanke singled and scored on a wild pitch. Ben Mezzenga walked, and Meyer singled to load the bases with one out. The Waves got the second out before Stanke scored on a wild pitch. Estrada walked the bases loaded again, then pinch hitter Gabe Knowles walked with the bases loaded to score Mezzenga and make it 11-8. Kozicky then doubled in three runs to tie it and scored on McDevitt's pinch hit double to give Minnesota the lead.
Darkness was falling at Eddy D. Field Stadium as Pepperdine batted in the bottom of the ninth. The Waves tied the game on two singles. With two outs, another Pepperdine batter reached on error, then the lead runner scored on a single up the middle to end the game.
The Gophers will open Big Ten play with a three-game series at Penn State this weekend. First pitch on Friday, March 22 is scheduled for 3 p.m. CDT.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Yost (1-0)
L: Radel, Gus (0-1)
Batting:
2B: Wilson, Eli 1 ; Estrada, Jr., Eduardo 1 ; Kozicky, Jordan 1 ; McDevitt, Cole 1
HR: Bertrand, Easton 1 ; Estrada, Jr., Eduardo 2
RBI: Meyer, Max 1 ; Bertrand, Easton 3 ; Estrada, Jr., Eduardo 2 ; Knowles, Gabe 1 ; Kozicky, Jordan 3 ; McDevitt, Cole 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Mezzenga, Ben 1 ; Wilson, Eli 2 ; Meyer, Max 2 ; Bertrand, Easton 1 ; Estrada, Jr., Eduardo 3 ; Knowles, Gabe 1 ; Kozicky, Jordan 1 ; Stanke, Chase 1
Batting:
2B: Malinchak 1 ; Cook 1
3B: Cook 1
RBI: Young 2 ; Kanfer 1 ; Modlin 1 ; McKinnon 1 ; Cook 4 ; Wills 3
Base Running:
RUNS: Young 1 ; McAfee 4 ; Kanfer 2 ; Modlin 2 ; Malinchak 1 ; Cook 2 ; Wills 1
SB: McAfee 1 ; Kanfer 1 ; Modlin 1
HBP: McAfee 1
Game Leaders
Hitting
AB
4
R
3
H
4
RBI
2
ss/3b
AB
5
R
1
H
3
RBI
3
1b/2b
AB
4
R
2
H
1
RBI
0
Players Mentioned
OF
/ BaseballOF
/ Baseball
LHP
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OF
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/ Baseball
LHP
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1B/C
/ Baseball
OF
/ Baseball
RHP
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C
/ Baseball
RHP
/ BaseballC
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