Washington tops Minnesota 11-7 behind Hotchkiss' two homers

The Washington Huskies took control of their 11-7 win over the Minnesota Golden Gophers right away on Friday and never looked back. Left fielder Jackson Hotchkiss kicked things off with a leadoff home run as the projected first-round pick's hot streak continued. He oversaw the power surge from coach Eddie Smith's lineup with a 3-for-4 day, drawing a pair of walks as he drove in 5 runs and scored three after an RBI single in the second inning and a three-run home run in the fourth.

Hotchkiss blasted two of Washington's four home runs on the day, as shortstop Sam DeCarlo, who went 2-for-3 on the day with a pair of walks, tacked on a two-run home run in the fourth inning. Catcher Colton Bower, who went 2-for-6, added a three-run shot in the fifth to give the pitching staff plenty of room to work as Cole Selvig took the loss for the Golden Gophers , letting up 8 runs on 11 hits with 2 walks and a strikeout over 3 1/3 innings. Hotch goes yard AGAIN 🚀 pic.

twitter. com/y2wI4GJPrm — Washington Baseball (@UW_Baseball) April 10, 2026 After earning a spot on Baseball America's National Team of the Week, starter Noah Kenney picked up right where he left off with another solid outing. He allowed 4 runs on 3 hits with 3 walks and 5 strikeouts over 6 innings of work, more than enough to improve to 4-3 on the year, as the majority of the damage he allowed came in the fifth inning on a three-run home run off the bat of shortstop Jack Spanier.

Things looked dicey for a moment as Carson Boesel surrendered 3 runs on 3 hits with a walk and a strikeout, including a solo home run to first baseman Jack Bello, but with two runners on in the ninth inning, Tommy Brandenberg came on to record the final out and his third save of the year. With the win, the Huskies improved to 16-18 on the season and 7-6 in Big Ten play. They'll return to the field at approximately 4:30 p.