Jake Stevenson and Max Meyer dominated on the mound as the No. 15-ranked Gopher baseball team claimed their ninth-straight series victory with a 3-1 win over Michigan State in the rubber match and home regular season finale on Sunday afternoon at Siebert Field.

In his return to the starting rotation, Stevenson (1-1) got the first 11 outs on the ground and did not allow a hit over the first three innings. Michigan State (18-28, 9-11 Big Ten) first had a ball reach the outfield with two outs in the sixth as three singles in the inning brought home a run and chased the right-hander from the game after a season-high 5.2 innings, collecting one strikeout on the day with four hits allowed.

Closer Max Meyer entered, collecting a strikeout in the sixth before finishing his day with 3.1 hitless innings while striking out five to earn his 13th save of the season for No. 15 Minnesota (34-13, 16-4 Big Ten).

The hurlers could not do it alone as Minnesota scored in just two innings. After Jordan Kozicky singled with one out in the third, Alex Boxwell reached on a fielder’s choice and stole second. Luke Pettersen singled him home, advanced to second on a walk to Ben Mezzenga, and came around to score on a two-out RBI single off the bat of Terrin Vavra.

Mezzenga led off the eight with an infield hit before Vavra sacrificed him to second. He came home to score on Eli Wilson’s ground-rule double to add a bit of insurance. Pettersen and Wilson each had two hits on the day.

Mike Mokma (1-4) allowed two runs on six hits while striking out one Gopher on the day in a start for the Spartans.

Notable

Stevenson had not yet reached five innings in a start this season before holding the Spartans quiet through 5.2 innings on Sunday … Max Meyer’s five strikeouts represent a career-high for the reliever … Terrin Vavra extended his hitting streak to 10-straight games, matching Ben Mezzenga’s season-high for the Gophers … Luke Pettersen made it 22-consecutive games reaching base, one off of Vavra’s season-high 23.

Up next

Minnesota will exit Big Ten play one last time on Tuesday as the Gophers take on St. John’s on the road in Queens, N.Y. The Maroon & Gold took 2-of-3 against the Red Storm in a series at U.S. Bank Stadium earlier this season. First pitch is set for 2:05 p.m.