University of Minnesota Athletics
University of Minnesota
4-18
Illinois State
6-9
Gophers Gash Illinois State, 10-3
3/21/2023 5:44:00 PM | Baseball
Ben Shepard picked up his first Gophers win, going 6.0 innings
NORMAL, Ill. -- Minnesota received contributions from every part of their lineup, as all nine starters reached base safely, helping the Golden Gophers defeat the Illinois State Redbirds 10-3 on Tuesday afternoon.
Redshirt senior Ben Shepard (1-1) got his win as a Gopher for Minnesota (4-18). The right-hander went six innings, giving up three runs, all of them earned, on eight hits, striking out three. Sophomore Noah Rooney also pitched well, going two shutout innings while allowing two hits, walking none and striking out two.
Freshman Weber Neels led the way offensively for the Golden Gophers, going 2-for-4 in the ballgame with a double, two walks and three RBI. Senior Riley Swenson put together another standout effort, going 2-for-4 with a double, a walk and two RBI. Junior Boston Merila also chipped in, going 2-for-5 for Minnesota with a double and an RBI.
The #Gophers put together an impressive all-around performance on Tuesday afternoon, stringing together 10 runs on 11 hits.
— Minnesota Baseball (@GopherBaseball) March 21, 2023
Ben Shepard picks up his first win as a Gopher, going 6.0 innings with three strikeouts.
Highlights 🎥 pic.twitter.com/IsJbowYuIk
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Golden Gophers got on the board immediately, starting their scoring with two runs in the top of the first inning. Minnesota's offense started clicking and put up four runs, including a two-run single off the bat of Neels and an RBI double from Merila.
Minnesota one run each in the fourth and fifth innings. The Gophers scored a run in the fourth when Neels drew a walk from senior Jared Hart that scored freshman Sam Hunt, which brought the score to 5-0. Riley Swenson's RBI double in the fifth ballooned the lead up to 6-0.
The Redbirds gained ground, closing the gap to 6-2 with a pair of runs off a fielder's choice and a bases loaded hit-by-pitch in the fifth.
The Golden Gophers picked up two runs off of ISU in the sixth, getting consecutive doubles from Neels and Ike Mezzenga followed by an RBI single from Swenson.
Illinois State scored once more in the sixth, but that would be it for their scoring output. The 'U' tacked on two more in the ninth for insurance to take home the 10-3 win.
GAME NOTES
» Every Minnesota starter reached base safely in the win.
» Minnesota scored four runs in the first inning, its highest scoring first inning of the season.
» Four Golden Gophers had multiple hits in the ballgame.
» Minnesota pitchers limited Illinois State to just 2-for-10 (.200) with runners in scoring position.
» Minnesota pitchers faced 38 Illinois State hitters in the game, allowing 12 ground balls and five fly balls while striking out eight.
» The Golden Gophers drew 10 walks from Illinois State pitching.
» Weber Neels led the Golden Gophers at the plate, going 2-for-4 with a double and three RBI.
» Jake Perry extended his team-leading eight game on-base streak.
» Brett Bateman posted his team-best ninth multi-hit game of the year.
» Illinois State was led offensively by senior Dylan Swarmer, who went 3-for-3 with a triple and an RBI.
UP NEXT
Minnesota (4-18, 0-0 Big Ten) and Illinois State (6-9, 0-0 MVC) square off again tomorrow at 1 p.m. CT. ESPN+ will provide streaming coverage.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Shepard, Ben (1-1)
L: Harper, Thomas (1-1)
Batting:
2B: Neels, Weber 1 ; Mezzenga, Ike 1 ; Merila, Boston 1 ; Swenson, Riley 1
3B: Hunt, Sam 1
RBI: Perry, Jake 1 ; Neels, Weber 3 ; Mezzenga, Ike 1 ; Merila, Boston 1 ; Jurgella, Brady 1 ; Swenson, Riley 2
SH: Bateman, Brett 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Bateman, Brett 1 ; Counsell, Brady 1 ; Perry, Jake 1 ; Neels, Weber 2 ; Mezzenga, Ike 2 ; Jurgella, Brady 1 ; Hunt, Sam 2
SB: Bateman, Brett 1
HBP: Perry, Jake 1
PO: Bateman, Brett 2
Batting:
2B: Rabin, Noah 1
3B: Swarmer, Dylan 1
RBI: Cheng, Luke 1 ; Swarmer, Dylan 1 ; Lawrence, Luke 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Rabin, Noah 1 ; Pacella, Daniel 1 ; Lawrence, Luke 1
HBP: Rasmussen, Auggie 1 ; Cheng, Luke 2
