The Golden Gopher baseball team claimed its first Big Ten title since 2010, clinching the honors on May 20 with a dramatic 4-3 victory over Ohio State and a loss by Indiana to Nebraska.
Minnesota, which finished the regular season 16-7 in the Big Ten (34-18 overall), scored four runs in the bottom of the sixth inning to erase a 3-0 deficit, then held on against the Buckeyes. Dalton Sawyer pitched 7 2/3 solid innings for the victory, and Jordan Jess recorded the final four outs.
After the game ended, Gopher players gathered near second base and watched the end of the Indiana-Nebraska game on the scoreboard in a scene reminiscent of the Minnesota Twins and their fans at the Metrodome—on the last day of the season in 2006. Indiana’s loss sparked a raucous celebration on the field and the Gophers jubilantly hoisted the championship trophy, just a year after finishing in ninth place and missing out on the Big Ten Tournament.
A new Siebert Field record crowd of 1,701 fans was on hand to witness the victory, and it was Minnesota’s 23rd Big Ten regular season championship in baseball.
This year’s Big Ten Tournament will be held in Omaha beginning May 25, and the Gophers will be the No. 1 seed.
- Categories:
- Sports and Recreation
