University of Minnesota Athletics
University of Minnesota
2-11
South Dakota State
3-5
Minnesota Rallies Late to Take Down South Dakota State, 3-2
3/8/2023 8:41:00 PM | Baseball
MINNEAPOLIS -- The Minnesota Golden Gophers won their second straight game after erasing a two-run deficit to top the South Dakota State Jackrabbits 3-2 on Wednesday night.
Sophomore Noah Rooney (1-0) got the win out of the bullpen for Minnesota (2-11). The left-hander went 1.2 shutout innings, giving up one hit and striking out one. Sophomore George Klassen started the ballgame and went two shutout innings while allowing one hit and striking out two.
Junior Brett Bateman led the way offensively for the Golden Gophers, going 2-for-4 in the ballgame with an RBI. Junior Brady Jurgella compiled a noteworthy performance at the plate as well, going 1-for-4 with the game-winning RBI double in the eighth inning. Sophomore Ike Mezzenga also contributed, going 1-for-3 for Minnesota with a double and a walk.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Golden Gophers were trailing 2-0 in the seventh inning after a two-run home run by SDSU's Nic Nelson. The Gophers responded in the seventh by scoring a pair of runs with two outs. Bateman hit an RBI single, scoring Kris Hokenson. Kyle Bork then scored on a passed ball to tie the game.
The Gophers broke the tie for good in the bottomf of the eighth. Minnesota pushed across a run on Jurgella's two-out RBI double, which scored Jake Perry to win the game. Perry worked a two-out walk as the batter before Jurgella.
Noah Rooney (1-0) got the first two outs in the ninth before Connor Wietgrefe (1) earned the save, getting the final batter to groundout.
GAME NOTES
» The Golden Gophers out-hit the Jackrabbits at a 7-6 clip.
» Brady Jurgella, a transfer from Madison College, hit the game-winning double, his first collegiate hit.
» Minnesota pitchers limited South Dakota State to just 1-for-6 (.167) with runners in scoring position.
» Minnesota pitchers faced 36 South Dakota State hitters in the game, allowing 11 ground balls and eight fly balls while striking out eight.
» Bateman led the Golden Gophers at the plate, going 2-for-4 with an RBI.
» South Dakota State was led offensively by senior Nic Nelson, who went 1-for-4 with a home run and two RBI.
» The Gophers have won two straight after starting out 0-11.
UP NEXT
Minnesota (2-11) heads east to take on West Virginia (7-4) for three games this weekend in Morgantown, W.V.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Rooney, Noah (1-0)
L: Dylan Driessen (2-1)
S: Wietgrefe, Connor (1)
Batting:
2B: Ryan McDonald 1 ; Drew Beazley 1
HR: Nic Nelson 1
RBI: Nic Nelson 2
SH: Cade Stuff 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Ryan McDonald 1 ; Nic Nelson 1
HBP: Dawson Parry 1
Batting:
2B: Mezzenga, Ike 1 ; Jurgella, Brady 1
RBI: Bateman, Brett 1 ; Jurgella, Brady 1
SH: Counsell, Brady 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Perry, Jake 1 ; Hokenson, Kris 1 ; Bork, Kyle 1
