The Gophers kept their slim NCAA Tournament hopes alive on Saturday with a 9-6 victory over the Ohio State Buckeyes in a must-win semifinal matchup in the Big Ten Tournament. Minnesota entered the game with one loss in a double-elimination tournament, facing an OSU team that hadn’t yet faced defeat.
Max Meyer, whose murky injury status in no way indicated he’d see the mound again this season, returned to the rotation and dominated the Buckeyes for nearly six innings, striking out seven and allowing just three hits. Eduardo Estrada, Jr. homered twice in what became a thrilling, if not heartburn-inducing, offensive showcase in the late innings.