Gophers fall short of comeback

The University of Minnesota wrapped up its weekend series against Michigan on Sunday afternoon with an 8-5 loss at Siebert Field, as an early Wolverines surge proved too much to overcome despite a late push from the Gophers lineup. Michigan jumped on Minnesota pitching right away, building a sizable lead through the opening innings while keeping the home side quiet offensively. Starter Cole Selvig took the loss, though the bullpen eventually settled things down and gave Minnesota an opportunity to climb back into the game.

After falling behind 6-0, the Gophers finally broke through in the third inning when Weber Neels lifted a sacrifice fly to center, allowing Jack Spanier to score Minnesota’s first run of the afternoon. The Wolverines answered with two more runs later in the game to stretch the margin to 8-1, putting the Gophers in a difficult position entering the late innings. Even so, Minnesota’s offense showed life as the game progressed, particularly through the long ball.

Ty Allen sparked the comeback effort in the sixth inning with a solo homer to left, trimming the deficit and bringing some energy back into the dugout. An inning later, the Gophers made things interesting with a three-run seventh inning powered by two swings of the bat. Jack Mosh launched his first home run of the season during the rally, part of a strong afternoon in which he also doubled and finished with two hits. Moments later, Davis Hamilton crushed a two-run shot to center field to cut the Michigan lead to three.

Minnesota couldn’t get any closer over the final two innings, but the pitching staff did manage to keep Michigan off the board after the fifth. Ben Gregory delivered an impressive relief outing, tossing three scoreless innings while striking out four and allowing just two hits. Although the comeback fell short, the Gophers still flashed their offensive potential with three home runs and several quality at-bats as they prepare for their final regular season home series next weekend against Nebraska at Siebert Field.