Phil Keppler drove in the decisive run with a 12th-inning single as Iowa defeated the Gophers baseball team 5-4 Sunday at the Metrodome, the Gophers' first Big Ten home loss of the season.
12-inning defeat first Big Ten home loss for Gophers baseball
April 30, 2012 at 3:05AM
The Gophers (26-20, 9-6), who on Saturday beat the Hawkeyes for their sixth walk-off victory of the season, came up short in their bid for a seventh, despite getting a runner on third in the 10th inning and a leadoff double in the 11th against Taylor Kaufman, who pitched 4 2/3 innings of scoreless relief for Iowa.
In the top of the 12th, Mike McQuillan drew a leadoff walk for Iowa (17-22, 6-9), was sacrificed to second and scored on Keppler's single. Keppler also scored the tying run in the top of the eighth inning after the Gophers had taken a 4-3 lead in the bottom of the seventh on Kurt Schlangen's sacrifice fly.
On Tuesday, the Gophers will play their final scheduled game at 41-year-old Siebert Field, against St. Thomas at 6:30 p.m.
U softball swept The Penn State softball team pulled off its third comeback victory of the weekend against the Gophers on Sunday, with Lauren Yao hitting a two-run single in the bottom of the seventh inning for a 4-3 victory in State College, Pa.
The Gophers (28-19, 7-11 Big Ten) had only two hits off Lisa Akamine, but one was Erika Smyth's three-run homer in the second inning. Penn State (17-27, 8-10) responded with single runs in the third and fourth inning off Sara Moulton.
In the bottom of the seventh inning, Cassidy Bell and Kailyn Johnson singled before advancing to second and third with two out on a wild pitch. Yao then ended a nine-pitch at-bat by driving in both runners on a single to left.
Etc. • First baseman Kelly Wood hit a walk-off grand slam in the bottom of the seventh inning, giving Minnesota State Mankato a 9-8 victory over Augustana in the NSIC softball tournament championship game in Rochester. Freshman Brittani Robinson drove in three runs for Minnesota State (47-8).
• The Gophers women's rowing team played host to its lone home event of the season, with the first varsity four team picking up the Gophers' only victory of the day against Wisconsin at Lake Phalen.
• The Gophers men's golf team finished seventh at the Big Ten championships in French Lick, Ind., shooting 63 over par in the four-round event at the Frank Dye Golf Course. Illinois won its fourth conference title in a row. Erik Van Rooyen finished seventh at 6 over and will compete at the NCAA regional as an individual.
• The Gophers women's golf team placed eighth at the Big Ten championships in French Lick, finishing at 54 over par, 33 strokes behind champion Michigan State.
about the writer
Minnesota shot nearly 60% during a 20-8 start to erase a fresh loss to Nebraska, but guard/forward Taylor Woodson suffered a knee injury early in the game.
