April 25, 2014
2 Minnesota (20-16, 7-9 Big Ten) | Minneapolis, Minn • Seibert Stadium • Attendance: 417 | 1 Penn State (17-21, 5-7 B1G) |
MINNEAPOLIS, Minn.; April 25, 2014 - The Penn State Nittany Lions (17-21, 5-7 Big Ten) fell to Minnesota (20-16, 7-9 Big Ten) in a hard-fought offensive struggle by a final of 2-1. Penn State was unable to come out on top despite outhitting the Gophers by a margin of seven to five.
The Blue and White's starting pitcher Tim Dunn (Coto de Caza, Calif.) turned in his best start of the senior's career, tossing his first career complete game. Dunn scattered just six base runners through a personal-best eight innings of work. The senior allowed five hits and one walk for two earned runs and three strikeouts. The complete game is Penn State's second of the season.
All of the Nittany Lions' offensive production came from Jim Haley (Upper Darby, Pa.) and J.J. White (Landsowne, Va.). Both Haley and White collected two hits apiece on the evening with Haley scoring the Lions lone run off a single from White.
Penn State had the first golden scoring opportunity of the evening in the top of the second inning. The Nittany Lions loaded the bases with no outs before Minnesota's starting pitcher Alec Crawford miraculously escaped with no damage done. After allowing the first three runners to reach safely, Crawford recorded two-straight strikeouts followed by getting a groundout to keep the game scoreless.
In the bottom half of the second, Minnesota scored the game's opening run. After Dunn retired the first two Golden Gopher hitters, Minnesota's Austin Athmann hit a solo home run over the left field wall to grab an early 1-0 advantage.
The Nittany Lions immediately responded with a run of their own to knot the score back up at 1-1 in the top of the third inning. Haley laced a one-out single through the right side and then moved to second off a groundout from Greg Guers (Langhorne, Pa.). White came through with a clutch base knock through the left side to score Haley from first to level the score.
One inning later the hosts retook the lead. Minnesota's Dan Olinger led off the frame with a double and advanced to third off a groundout. The Gophers' next batter, Mark Tatera, plated Olinger via a sacrifice fly to right field to put Minnesota on top 2-1.
After the Golden Gophers scored their go-ahead run in the fourth both Dunn and Crawford got locked in on the mound, matching one another scoreless inning for scoreless inning. Neither pitcher allowed a run the rest of the way.
Crawford's day was finished after the eighth inning and Minnesota's Dalton Sawyer came in to close out the game for the Gophers in the ninth. After allowing a leadoff single to Aaron Novak (Ambler, Pa.), Sawyer got a double play and then a strikeout to end the game to deliver the hosts a game one victory.
Game two of the three-game series between the two sides is scheduled for tomorrow at 7:05 p.m. and the third and final game will be played on Sunday at 1:05 p.m. All times are Eastern.