Maryland evens series, launches three home runs in 11-2 thrashing of Nebraska

One step forward, two steps back. So goes Nebraska’s rough month of April. Saturday marked another new low in a 11-2 loss to Maryland (25-15, 6-8) which was the Huskers’ (24-12, 7-4) largest margin of defeat this season.

Nebraska keeps track of what it quantifies as grit statistics during games. Nebraska head coach Will Bolt said he looked at the team’s board midway through the game and saw one 3-2 count win, one big hit and one time in which a runner went first to third.

Meanwhile, the Huskers failed to make Maryland starter Omar Melendez remotely uncomfortable. He pitched a Terrapin-career high six innings while allowing two earned runs and striking out six. Melendez’s season-high pitch count sat at 66 before Saturday’s 99-pitch effort.

“That’s what I told the team,” Bolt said. “It’s only one game, but the message has been too consistently over the last couple of weeks of, ‘Hey what do we need to do better?’ We haven’t been able to make that adjustment. So tomorrow is obviously a big day, a day to win the series, and that’s really the name of the game, right? If you can win series you’ve got a shot. But to win series, to win on Sunday, you’ve got to show an incredible amount of toughness.”

Here’s more on Nebraska’s blowout loss at Haymarket Park.

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Maryland chased Mason McConnaughey off the hill in the blink of an eye.

Before the right-hander’s warmup music had stopped reverberating off the Haymarket Park concourse, Eddie Hacopian teed off on McConnaughey’s first offering with a solo shot to left. He loaded the bases with one away before a Jacob Orr two-out single made it a 3-0 Terrapin advantage. A wild pitch with runners in scoring position and a sacrifice fly stretched the lead to 5-0 an inning later.

Four of the 12 batters he faced reached with two strikes.

“They were obviously on his fastball,” Bolt said. “He wasn’t able to land the slider early so that made him pretty predictable. His fastball was over the middle of the plate. I don’t know that it was any different action on the fastball, they just were ready to hit. They obviously set the tone and we were on our heels.”

Ben Columbus answered another Maryland run in the fourth with his second home run in as many games.

“You don’t win if that’s all you’re getting from your offense,” Bolt said. “It was just highly, highly uncompetitive and very, very disappointing in terms of just having an edge. We had a moment there in the third inning, a 3-2 count, a couple of them, where it looks like we’re getting ready to get back in the game. We don’t lay off ball four a couple times and to me they gathered all the momentum after that.”

Then the Terrapins grabbed a stranglehold two innings later.

Multi-run blasts from Elijah Lambros (two) and Sam Hojnar (three) made it a double-digit Maryland advantage. The first came against Caleb Clark, who had allowed one earned run over the previous 3 1/3 innings. Bobby Olsen allowed the second which came with two outs.

Nebraska’s offense lay dormant for the remainder of the game. The Huskers stranded a runner in scoring position in the sixth and left the bases loaded in the seventh. Josh Caron, who leads the team in home runs and RBIs, struck out looking to end Nebraska’s threat.

The first two batters of the Husker ninth reached via walks. But, a lineout to center and lineout double play to shortstop in which Josh Overbeek was doubled off between first and second brought a close to an otherwise forgettable afternoon.

Bolt believes it was a fitting finish.

“Unfortunately, I’ve had to use that the last couple of weeks far too often,” Bolt said. “Just the way that game ended whether a game ends on a backwards K or an inability to finish an inning or finish off a play. That’s a total lack of competitive nature right there.”

Where has the clutch hitting gone?

Nebraska was atrocious with runners on base. The Huskers went a measly 2-for-17 (.118) in such situations and 0-for-7 with runners in scoring position. Leadoff batters reached in 3-of-9 innings while NU stranded nine base runners compared to Maryland’s four. There were also 11 pop or flyouts with three coming in foul ground.

“We’re highly unaggressive,” Bolt said. “It’s passive early in the count and overaggressive late in the count. It’s just not ready to go execute a game plan at the plate and you’ve got to be able to do that. Teams that drive in runs at a high level, when we’ve done it at a high level this year in particular, it’s by being aggressive. You’ve got to go do that.”

Dylan Carey was one of two Huskers who found any consistent success at the dish. He finished 2-of-3 with a single and a walk. He represents all three of Nebraska’s leadoff runners to reach base. Columbus also went 2-of-3 and collected both of the Huskers’ RBIs.

He was quick to identify Nebraska’s offensive shortcomings postgame.

“Not capitalizing with runners in scoring position,” Carey said. “We get guys on early on with no outs and we can’t capitalize and score those guys early on in the game. That was the biggest thing for us.”

Without a consistent power presence in the lineup, the Huskers’ production at the plate is incredibly dependent on clutch hitting. Finding that swing on Sunday will be a critical key to victory.

What’s next for Nebraska baseball?

Nebraska closes out its series with Maryland on Sunday afternoon at 12:05 p.m. CT. The Huskers have yet to decide who will start against Terrapin right-hander Joey McMannis (3.41 ERA). Then Nebraska’s home stand continues on Tuesday against Kansas at 6:05 p.m. CT before the Huskers host Iowa next weekend.

Fans can listen to Sunday’s game on the Huskers Radio Network or stream it on Big Ten Plus