Gopher Baseball Squad Sweeps Purdue

(Gophersports.com) - The Golden Gophers earned two walk-off wins in their last home games of the season. Minnesota beat Purdue 6-5 in the completion of Saturday’s suspended game, and won Sunday’s game 4-3. The Gophers swept their series against Purdue to improve to 26-20 overall and 12-9 in Big Ten play. They also clinched a berth in the Big Ten Tournament.

After Tony Skjefte’s home run in the ninth tied the game 5-all, Bobby Juan led off the bottom of the 10th with a towering home run to right to win 6-5.

When Saturday’s weather-delayed game resumed, Minnesota held a 3-2 lead with two outs and two Purdue runners on base in the eighth inning. Dalton Sawyer inherited a 1-1 count on Jeff Evak when play started, and struck him out.

After a scoreless eighth for Minnesota, Sean McHugh hit a three-run home run to give Purdue a 5-3 lead in the ninth. Brandon Krieg walked and Cody Strong hit a single to get on base for McHugh’s fourth homer of the season. McHugh hit 2-for-4 and drove in all five of the Boilermakers’ runs.

Down two with two outs in the bottom of the ninth, the Gophers’ chances stayed alive with a single to right by Connor Schaefbauer. Skjefte followed with a home run to left to knot the game at 5-all.

Sawyer (5-4) pitched a 1-2-3 10th inning, bringing up Juan to lead off the bottom of the inning. The senior’s fourth home run of the year won the game on Mike Lutz’s (2-7) first pitch of the game.

The Gophers outhit Purdue 15-7. Jake Bergren went 3-for-4, and Dan Olinger 3-for-5. Dan Motl hit 2-for-5 with three RBIs. Schaefbauer, Skjefte and Juan also hit 2-for-5.