The Gophers baseball team rallied for five runs in the top of the seventh inning to take a brief lead but ultimately lost 9-7 to No. 14 California Santa Barbara on Friday night in the College Baseball Classic in Sunrise, Ariz. The game was Minnesota's season opener.
Trailing 7-3 in the seventh, the Gophers' rally began with Kyle Bork's RBI grounder and Jake Larson's RBI triple. Boston Merila drove in the other three runs on a double.
The Gauchos, the defending Big West champions, reclaimed the lead in the bottom of the inning with two runs on Ivan Brethowr's RBI double and Nick Oakley's homer.
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• The Gophers softball team lost 1-0 to North Carolina in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge in Chapel Hill, N.C. Autumn Pease pitched a four-hitter for Minnesota (4-2). She struck out six, walked two. Bri Stubbs' double in the second inning for the Tar Heels (4-2) drove in the only run. Lilli Backes pitched a five-hitter for North Carolina with seven strikeouts, three walks. Kayla Chavez was 2-for-4 for the Gophers.
• Gophers junior swimmer Megan Van Berkom placed second in the 400-yard individual medley (4 minutes, 4.86 seconds) on Day 3 of the Big Ten championships in Ann Arbor, Mich. Minnesota's 200 freestyle (1:29.50) was fourth as was Joy Zhu in 3-meter diving (349.35 points).
• Senior forward Blake Steenerson of Maple Grove announced on Twitter he has committed to Vermont. He has 16 goals and 21 assists for 37 points in 24 games for the Crimson.
