The Minnesota baseball team opened their regular season in solid fashion by defeating Akron 6-0 on Thursday afternoon in Fort Myers, Florida.

Gophers’ pitchers Seth Rosin and Scott Fern split time on the mound, combining to shut-out the Zips.  Each pitcher gave up only three hits while continually keeping the Akron hitters off-balance and out of scoring position.

The Minnesota lineup jumped all over Akron starter Alex Loftin, scoring four early runs off eight hits in the first four innings.  Leading the way for the Gophers was designated hitter Kyle Knudson, who went 3-3 at the plate with a walk, an RBI and a run scored.  Michael Kvasnicka wasted no time in showing off his power by hitting a deep home run to left field in the bottom of the sixth inning.

Minnesota will face Akron again on Saturday at 1:05 p.m. Junior Luke Rasmussen is expected to make the start for the Gophers.