MINNEAPOLIS – Minnesota snapped a 2-2 tie on Matt Stemper’s three-run double in the bottom of the eighth inning to pull out a 5-2 victory over Missouri State in the opening contest of the clubs’ three-game series at U.S. Bank Stadium Friday evening.
MSU starter Jordan Knutson held the Gophers (9-4) to just three hits over the first seven innings, but Alex Boxwell led off the decisive frame with his second key hit of the game, before a pinch single by Ben Mezzenga and an intentional walk to Micah Coffey set up Stemper’s one-out, bases-clearing line drive into the left field corner.
Knutson (2-1) was tagged with the tough-luck loss after yielding three runs on just four hits and striking out seven without issuing a walk. Jake Fromson permitted his first runs of the season after allowing the final two Gopher tallies on a pair of hits and a walk.
Tyler Hanson (2-1) picked up the victory for Minnesota with three scoreless innings of relief. Gophers starter Lucas Gilbreath kept the Bears in check through five frames, repeatedly working his way out of trouble thanks to five strikeouts in the first three innings and six total in his 5.0 innings of work.
Brian Glowicki wrapped up the victory and his fifth save of the season for Minnesota with a perfect ninth, as the three Gopher hurlers combined to strike out nine MSU batters.
Missouri State (10-3) had little trouble generating scoring chances in the game’s early stages, putting its leadoff man aboard in each of the first three innings. But Gilbreath had an answer each time, most often in the form of a strikeout. The left-hander struck out a pair in each of the first two innings, including back-to-back called third strikes to Aaron Meyer and Trey Turner with a man on third in the second.
Conversely, the Gophers failed to put their first runner on base until a one-out single by Jordan Smith snapped Knutson’s string of seven straight retired UM hitters to start the evening. Smith swiped second, then moved to third on Luke Pettersen’s chopper to first before Boxwell brought the runner home with a run-scoring triple into the right-center field gap.
The home team struck with another two-out rally in the fifth, taking advantage of a Knutson wild pitch on a strikeout to stretch the margin to two runs. Knutson retired the first two UM hitters on fly balls, before skipping a third strike past Pettersen and catcher Drew Millas to extend the inning. He plunked the next hitter—Boxwell—before Eli Wilson blooped a single into shallow right field to chase home Pettersen for a 2-0 lead.
MSU All-American Jake Burger would have a loud answer to the Gopher tally in the sixth, blasting a 421-foot leadoff homer to center—the longest in the brief history of U.S. Bank Stadium—to slice the Bears’ deficit in half.
Next, Gilbreath plunked Eierman with his final pitch of the night, before Hanson walked Justin Paulsen to set up another scoring chance for MSU. A passed ball moved both baserunners into scoring position, and Meyer’s fly ball to center plated Eierman with the tying run, moments before Paulsen was cut down attempting to advance to third.
Missouri State, which generated just four hits in the game, was hampered by its inability to string hits together. The Bears went hitless in six at-bats with runners in scoring position and finished the night 0-for-11 with runners on base.
The Bears and Gophers continue their series with game two Saturday (March 11) at 2 p.m., before wrapping up the weekend with a 1 p.m. contest Sunday.
