The game’s first pitch to the Gophers was a fastball that hit Dan Motl in the face. The center fielder riding a 17-game hitting streak, dropped to the ground, and Minnesota’s bad start last Sunday — Penn State scored three runs in the top half of the inning — had just become much worse.
The Gophers entered the series against the Nittany Lions six games under .500 and in 11th place in the Big Ten standings. Minnesota hosts the Big Ten tournament next month at Target Field, and if Gophers want to be part of the field, they need to finish in the conference’s top eight.