University of Minnesota Athletics
University of Minnesota
10-26, 0
Illinois
17-18, 0
Gophers Lead Early, Fall Late to Illini
4/22/2023 6:05:00 PM | Baseball
Jake Perry had two hits, including a home run for Minnesota
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- The Minnesota Golden Gophers dropped their fourth straight Big Ten contest in a 5-3 loss to the Illinois Fighting Illini Saturday.
Sophomore George Klassen had a strong outing on the mound for the Golden Gophers (10-26, 4-7 Big Ten), starting the ballgame and throwing five innings, giving up two runs on three hits, with four walks and four strikeouts. Sophomore Connor Wietgrefe (0-3) came out of the bullpen for Minnesota and took the loss after allowing three runs in 1.1 innings.
Jake Perry had two extra base hits, which were the highlight of a 2-for-4 day. He hit his third home run of the year and later doubled. Four other Gophers had one hit each.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Golden Gophers got the scoring started in the first inning when Perry put Minnesota on the board with a one-out solo home run off Illini freshman Jake Swartz.
The 'U' got one more in the second when Boston Merila came across to score on a Drew Berkland suicide squeeze play. Minnesota had the bases loaded with no outs in the second but managed just one run.
Illinois narrowed Minnesota's lead to 2-1 before the Golden Gophers stretched the advantage to 3-1 in the third inning with an RBI groundout from Ike Mezzenga.
UI scored once more in the third after a wild pitch by Klassen, but would then be held off the board until the sixth inning. Illini third baseman Branden Comia laced a two-out, two-run home run to put his team up for good in the sixth.
Illinois would plate one more on a sacrifice fly in the seventh, leading to the 5-3 final score.
GAME NOTES
» The Golden Gophers out-hit the Fighting Illini at a 6-5 clip.
» Minnesota pitchers limited Illinois to just 0-for-4 with runners in scoring position.
» Minnesota pitchers faced 35 Illinois hitters in the game, allowing nine ground balls and five fly balls while striking out eight.
» Perry led the Golden Gophers at the plate, going 2-for-4 with a double, a home run and an RBI.
» Seth Clausen tossed 1.2 scoreless innings in relief for Minnesota.
» Boston Merila kept his 16-game on-base streak going with a double in the second inning.
» Illinois was led offensively by senior Branden Comia, who went 1-for-3 with a home run and two RBI.
» Junior Jack Crowder led the Fighting Illini pitching staff, throwing four shutout innings.
UP NEXT
Minnesota and Illinois finish the series tomorrow at 1 p.m. Big Ten Network will televise the contest.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Crowder, Jack. (2-0)
L: Wietgrefe, Connor (0-3)
Batting:
2B: Perry, Jake 1 ; Merila, Boston 1
HR: Perry, Jake 1
RBI: Perry, Jake 1 ; Mezzenga, Ike 1 ; Berkland, Drew 1
SH: Berkland, Drew 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Perry, Jake 2 ; Merila, Boston 1
SB: Bateman, Brett 1 ; Neels, Weber 1
Batting:
2B: Janik, Camden 1 ; Moerman, Ryan 1
HR: Comia, Branden 1
RBI: Westcott, Drake 1 ; Comia, Branden 2
SF: Westcott, Drake 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Doligale, Danny 2 ; Westcott, Drake 1 ; Moerman, Ryan 1 ; Comia, Branden 1
CS: Comia, Branden 1
HBP: Doligale, Danny 1 ; Comia, Branden 1
