Baseball

Things looked bleak for the Minnesota baseball team Wednesday against North Dakota State.

The Gophers played sloppy, executed poorly and struggled in the clutch all game long. As a result, they trailed 6-3 going into the eighth inning.

Then the unthinkable happened: A pair of catcher’s interference calls helped spark a seven-run rally and a monster 11-7 comeback victory in front of an NDSU-record 1,791 fans.

It was the little things that cost Minnesota two of three games against Michigan State last weekend.

A play here, a pitch there, an out there.

It doesn’t help when multiple starting position players are out of the lineup with injuries, which has been the case all season for the Gophers.

Minnesota head coach John Anderson has been shuffling lineups for the last several weeks, and he has had to work around injuries to right fielder Trip Schultz, center fielder Troy Larson and shortstop Michael Handel.

The Gophers baseball team got a taste of its own medicine this weekend. It has won thanks to runs in its final at-bats four times this season.

On Saturday and Sunday, Minnesota (23-19) found out what it’s like to be on the other end of the celebration, as it dropped two of three games to Michigan State in East Lansing, Mich.

Minnesota split Saturday’s doubleheader with a 3-2 loss and a 4-2 win, but fell to Michigan State 5-4 in Sunday’s series-deciding game.

The Gophers’ offense has been up and down this season, but one first-inning run was all it took for the Gophers Wednesday.

Minnesota (22-17) squeaked by Nebraska-Omaha 1-0 on the strength of its pitching and defense and completed a two-game sweep of the Mavericks.

Five pitchers, led by starter Ty McDevitt, combined to shutout UNO in the Gophers’ first five-pitcher shutout since 2003.

Kurt Schlangen scored the game’s only run on Mavericks shortstop Brady Hohl’s throwing error in the first inning. McDevitt and the bullpen did the rest.

A two-game midweek series will give the Gophers another brief break from their rigorous Big Ten schedule.

Minnesota will host a reeling Nebraska-Omaha (11-25) club Tuesday and Wednesday. The Mavericks were most recently eviscerated 20-1 by UNLV on Sunday.

The Gophers (20-17), meanwhile, are fresh off a sweep of Big Ten bottom dweller Northwestern.

Minnesota has won 11 of its last 14 games. Its 6-3 record is second in the conference.

Minnesota’s date with South Dakota State on Wednesday will serve more as a trial run than anything else.

The team has some missing parts right now and will attempt to patch those holes on the fly.

The Gophers — already without the services of seniors third baseman Kyle Geason and right fielder Trip Schultz — will play their second game without stud center fielder Troy Larson.