|
Minnesota Pulls an Upset on Michigan, Wins 6-2
May 26, 2006
ANN ARBOR, Mich. - With rain in the forecast and a brief delay in the warm-ups, Michigan and Minnesota were underway on time early on Friday morning. Neither team seemed to be affected by the early game time, but it was Minnesota who made the most of their opportunities and picked up the important 6-2 victory en route to advancement in the winners' bracket. The game started with both teams playing conservatively and the pitchers each performing well through the opening innings - Brian Bull for Minnesota and Paul Hammond for Michigan. It wasn't until there were two outs in the third that either team got anything going offensively. With the bases loaded, Gopher Nate Hanson hit a hard grounder that Michigan shortstop A.J. Scheidt couldn't handle, and drove in Luke McLean and Matt Nohelty for two unearned runs. The Gophers added three runs in the fourth. Kyle Baran led off the inning with a double, and with two outs, Tony Leseman hit a single that knocked him home and started a mini-rally. MacLean then stepped up and knocked a single to right field, advancing Leseman to second. Hammond then walked Mee to load the bases for Andy Hunter in the clean-up spot, and Hunter lived up to his position by smacking a single into right field that scored Leseman and MacLean to make the score 5-0 with four and a half innings in the books. Michigan finally got on the board with one out in the sixth. Doug Pickens stepped to the plate with a man on first and belted a two-run homer over the 375-foot wall in left center field to cut the Minnesota lead to three. Minnesota added another run in the seventh after Hunter reached on a single. With one out, Lyons stepped up and knocked a single of his own to advance Hunter to second. This set up Baran for an RBI single as Hunter came around to score a run and make the score 6-2. The Gophers would threaten again in the seventh but to no avail. Bull pitched seven and one-third innings for the Gophers, spreading out eight hits to give up just two runs and pick up the win. Josh Oslin picked up the save. Minnesota will play Ohio State in tonight's twighlight game. Michigan will play in Game Seven, tentatively set for 4:35 p.m. due to the length of this morning's game.
|
|
