University of Minnesota Athletics
University of Minnesota
10-27, 0
Illinois
18-18, 0
Gophers Fall in Walk-Off Fashion to Illinois
4/23/2023 4:44:00 PM | Baseball
Minnesota led 5-3 with two outs in the ninth
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- The Golden Gophers fell to the Fighting Illini, 6-5, losing on a walk-off two-run home run on Sunday.
Minnesota scored two runs in the top of the ninth to go up 5-3, but a solo home run, infield single and two-run home run gave Illinois the win. UI also won game one, 9-3, and game two, 5-3.
Senior Richard Holetz was a bright spot for the Golden Gophers, starting the ballgame and throwing 4.2 innings, giving up two runs, one earned, on two hits, with no walks and two strikeouts. Left-hander Noah Rooney came in after that, striking out a pair and allowing just one earned run in 3.1 innings. Sophomore Seth Clausen (2-1) took the loss.
Junior Brett Bateman led the way offensively for the Golden Gophers, going 1-for-5 in the ballgame with a double and an RBI. Freshman Sam Hunt put together a standout effort as well, going 1-for-4 with a double and an RBI. Sophomore Brady Counsell also contributed, going 1-for-4 for Minnesota with a double and a walk. Weber Neels tallied two singles and a run for the maroon and gold.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Golden Gophers put runs on the scoreboard first, starting the scoring in the fourth inning. Minnesota managed to push across two runs in the inning, getting an RBI groundout from Ike Mezzenga and a passed ball that scored Counsell.
The Fighting Illini then tied the ballgame at two with a solo home run and another run off a Minnesota error.
Minnesota came back to reclaim their advantage in the seventh inning, however. The 'U' pushed across a run on Hunt's one-out RBI double, which brought the Golden Gophers lead to 3-2.
Illinois came back to even the ballgame at three with another solo home run before Minnesota reclaimed a 5-3 advantage in the ninth inning. The Golden Gophers scored two runs in the frame off a fielder's choice and then an RBI double from Bateman.
Right-hander Seth Clausen came into the game in the bottom of the ninth to try and seal the deal for the Gophers. He got the first two outs and almost had the third. UI's Westcott hit a ball to deep center field that was tracked down by Minnesota center fielder Brett Bateman, who made a jumping grab at the wall. When Bateman made impact with the wall, however, the ball popped out of his glove and over the fence for a solo home run.
After a controversial infield single by the Illini, a two-run home run on the first pitch by Jacob Shroeder gave the home team a walk-off 6-5 win.
GAME NOTES
» The loss was the second time this year Minnesota has been walked off (New Mexico, Feb. 20).
» The Golden Gophers out-hit the Fighting Illini at an 8-6 clip.
» Minnesota pitchers faced 33 Illinois hitters in the game, allowing nine ground balls and 10 fly balls while striking out four.
» Weber Neels led the Gophers with two hits on the afternoon.
» Boston Merila kept his team-best 17-game on-base streak going with a single.
» Illinois was led offensively by junior Jacob Schroeder, who went 2-for-3 with two home runs and three RBI.
UP NEXT
The Gophers host NDSU on Tuesday and St. Thomas on Wednesday. Both games are scheduled for 6 p.m. at Siebert Field. B1G+ will stream.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Vera, Alex (1-1)
L: Clausen, Seth (2-1)
Batting:
2B: Bateman, Brett 1 ; Counsell, Brady 1 ; Hokenson, Kris 1 ; Hunt, Sam 1
RBI: Bateman, Brett 1 ; Mezzenga, Ike 1 ; Hunt, Sam 1
SH: Hokenson, Kris 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Perry, Jake 1 ; Counsell, Brady 1 ; Neels, Weber 2 ; Hokenson, Kris 1
HBP: Perry, Jake 1
Batting:
HR: McDonald, Cam 1 ; Westcott, Drake 1 ; Schroeder, Jacob 2
RBI: McDonald, Cam 1 ; Westcott, Drake 1 ; Schroeder, Jacob 3
Base Running:
RUNS: McDonald, Cam 1 ; Westcott, Drake 1 ; Moerman, Ryan 1 ; Schroeder, Jacob 3
HBP: Schroeder, Jacob 1 ; Comia, Branden 1
