University of Minnesota Athletics
University of Minnesota
24-28, 10-20
Michigan State
28-25, 13-17
Neels Homers Twice in Minnesota's 11-10 Loss to Michigan State
5/17/2025 3:45:00 PM | Baseball
EAST LANSING, MI .- Junior Weber Neels put together an outstanding outing at the plate Saturday, hitting two home runs, but the Minnesota Golden Gophers fell to the Michigan State Spartans 11-10.
Senior Seth Clausen (0-2) came out of the bullpen for Minnesota (24-28, 10-20) and took the loss. Sophomore Tyler Hemmesch was a bright spot for the Golden Gophers, coming out of the bullpen as well and throwing 4.2 innings, giving up one run on four hits, with one walk and one strikeout.
Neels went 2-for-3 at the plate, supplementing his two home runs with two RBIs. Junior Drew Berkland added to Neels' awesome power-hitting performance by going 1 for 5 with a home run and two RBIs. Junior Easton Richter also chipped in for the Golden Gophers, going 2-for-5 with a home run and an RBI.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Golden Gophers were trailing 4-0 in the second inning when they first put runs on the board. Senior Josh Fitzgerald's bases-clearing double put all three runs on the board in the inning for Minnesota.
The Golden Gophers deficit grew to 7-3 before their offense got back on the scoreboard, cutting into that deficit in the third inning. Minnesota scored twice on back-to-back home runs from Neels and Richter, which brought the score to 7-5 in favor of the Spartans.
Michigan State built their lead to 9-5 before the Minnesota offense got back in action, reducing that lead to 9-7 in the fifth. The Golden Gophers picked up two runs when a single from freshman Jameson Martin brought home Neels and Richter.
Minnesota kept the Spartans off the board before tying it up in the sixth. The Golden Gophers scored twice on Berkland's two-run homer, evening the score at 9-9.
That 9-9 tie turned into a 10-9 Golden Gophers lead in the ninth. Minnesota picked up a run on Neels' one-out solo home run off of sophomore Garrett Brewer. The Golden Gophers were unable to hold the lead, as Michigan State scored two times in the bottom half of the ninth to grab the 11-10 win.
GAME NOTES
» Minnesota got a two-homer day from Neels.
» Minnesota's power output was led by Neels, who picked up two extra base hits in the ballgame.
» Minnesota's highest scoring inning was the second, when it pushed three runs across.
» The Golden Gophers drew four walks from Michigan State pitching.
» Neels led the Golden Gophers at the plate, going 2 for 3 with two home runs and two RBIs.
For more information on the Gopher baseball program, fans can continue to use GopherSports.com, as well as follow the team on X, Instagram, and Facebook.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Brewer,Garrett (2-2)
L: Clausen, Seth (0-2)
Batting:
2B: Fitzgerald, Josh 1
3B: Sutherland, Charlie 1
HR: Berkland, Drew 1 ; Neels, Weber 2 ; Richter, Easton 1
RBI: Fitzgerald, Josh 3 ; Berkland, Drew 2 ; Neels, Weber 2 ; Richter, Easton 1 ; Martin, Jameson 2
SH: Larson, Jake 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Fitzgerald, Josh 1 ; Berkland, Drew 1 ; Neels, Weber 3 ; Richter, Easton 2 ; Martin, Jameson 1 ; Spanier, Jack 1 ; Larson, Jake 1
SB: Neels, Weber 1 ; Martin, Jameson 1
HBP: Neels, Weber 1 ; Larson, Jake 1
Batting:
2B: Picot,Parker 1
RBI: Seymour,Randy 3 ; Busch,Sam 1 ; Williams,Nick 2 ; Bright,Noah 2 ; Picot,Parker 1 ; Anderson,Jacob 1
SH: Seymour,Randy 1
Base Running:
RUNS: McKay,Ryan 1 ; Seymour,Randy 1 ; Busch,Sam 2 ; Berry,Caleb 1 ; Williams,Nick 1 ; Bright,Noah 1 ; Picot,Parker 2 ; Sokolove,JT 1 ; Murphy,Dayton 1
SB: Seymour,Randy 1
HBP: Seymour,Randy 1 ; Berry,Caleb 1 ; Sokolove,JT 1
