Published Mar 17, 2021
Series Recap: Gophers struggle to find runs again, drop series to Illinois
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Casey Warner  •  Gophers Nation
Staff Writer

The Golden Gophers dropped their second straight series to start the season over the weekend against Illinois.

In game one on Friday, Illinois put up five runs in the 10th inning to down Minnesota 6-1. Saturday in double-header action, Minnesota was no match for the Illini's hot bats as they dropped game two 11-8 and game three 7-1.

On Sunday the Gophers' bats came alive to boost Minnesota to their second victory of the season 5-3.

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Both teams went scoreless in the first six innings of game one on Friday, as pitcher Sam Ireland held Illinois to just five hits in just over seven innings of work. Heading into extras the score was tied at one, but Illinois would take advantage of reliever Patrick Fredrickson and ultimately get a lopsided victory.

Saturday, game two saw the Illini jump out to a 9-2 lead after five innings, which ultimately would end up too much for the Gophers to overcome even with a six-run seventh inning. In game three Illinois pitching shut down Minnesota allowing just four hits while second baseman Boston Merila gave the Gophers their lone RBI for the contest.

The Gopher bats would finally come alive in game four on Sunday as Zack Raabe and Jack Wassel each hit home runs to push the offense ahead. Minnesota would use five pitchers throughout the game with starter Jack Liffrig picking up the win and giving the Gophers their second win overall on the young season.

Series Standouts
PlayerGames PlayedSeries StatsSeason Stats

Zack Raabe, 2B

4

.666 AVG, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 2 runs, 8 hits

.571 AVG, 4 HR, 6 RBI, 29 TB

Sam Ireland, RHP

1

7.1 IP, 1.23 ERA, 3 SO

11.2 IP, 0-1, 9 SO, 3.09 ERA

Jack Liffrig, LHP

1

5.2 IP, 4.76 ERA, 3 SO, 1 W

10.2 IP, 1-1, 7 SO, 6.75 ERA

Now eight games in on the year, Minnesota has just two players hitting over .300 for the season and their team batting average has now dropped to .229. Pitching improved considerably with this past weekend's series as the team ERA for the Gophers now stands at 7.86.

At 2-6 on the 2021 season, Minnesota will now go on the road for seven games beginning with a three-game series Saturday through Monday at Northwestern. The Gophers are 12th out of 13 teams in the current Big Ten baseball standings.

Catch the Gophers in action next on Saturday against the Wildcats with first pitch coming at 6:00 PM CT. The game will be televised on Big Ten Network Plus.