Nebraska baseball grabs early lead, fades in the fifth at No. 23 Maryland
Nebraska baseball dropped the series opener against No. 23 Maryland in College Park on Friday evening. The Huskers grabbed an early lead but the Terrapin bats outscored NU 8-2 the rest of the way for an 8-4 victory.
Head coach Will Bolt’s squad continues its rough patch in which the team is 3-7 in its last 10 games. Here’s more on how the action unfolded.
For the 27th time this season, Nebraska drew first blood. Casey Burnham doubled to right-center and Max Anderson followed that up with his 17th home run of the season to give the Huskers a 2-0 advantage in the first. Maryland got a run back in the bottom half as a pair of singles and stolen base setup a sacrifice fly from Ian Petrutz that made it 2-1.
Terrapin starter Nick Dean settled in after the first posting two strikeouts in the second and third innings while holding Nebraska off the board. Emmett Olson countered for the Huskers hanging zeros for each inning in that same stretch. The southpaw worked a masterful third sitting Maryland down in order on just seven pitches.
Nebraska appeared poised to deal some damage in the fourth by putting two on with no outs via a single and walk. Garrett Anglim put those runners in scoring position with a sacrifice bunt but Ben Columbus grounded into a fielder’s choice for the second out. Later, Dylan Carey came to the plate with the bases loaded and he sent a weak grounder on the infield that ended the threat.
After another 1-2-3 inning from Olson, the Husker bats faced a new pitcher in the fifth as Kenny Lippman entered for Nick Dean. Nebraska came up empty once again after a Burnham blast to right-center was pulled back in on a highlight catch from Maryland’s Elijah Lambros.
Olson issued a one-out walk to begin a Terrapin run in the home half after retiring nine consecutive batters. Maryland took full advantage and came flying off the mat to post a crooked number. The Terrapins plated five runs on four hits including a two-RBI double from Nick Lorusso aided by a Husker error in left.
Corbin Hawkins relived Olson after a hard-hit grounder stuck the junior in the ankle.
Facing a 6-2 deficit, Nebraska went quietly in the sixth. Maryland retired nine of the next ten Huskers following NU’s scoring threat in the fourth.
Lippman sat down seven straight Huskers to begin his outing until Josh Caron stepped to the plate. The sophomore crushed his 6th home run of the season to bring Nebraska within 6-3.
Nebraska cut further into the Maryland lead on a Griffin Everitt RBI single in the eighth. Yet, the Huskers could have had much more. With runners on first and second and one away, Anglim struck out swinging and Columbus flied to left to end the inning.
Hawkins sailed through the 2 2/3 innings of his relief appearance without allowing a run. Things got dicey in the bottom half of the eighth. The right-hander allowed a single and double to left marking the end of his outing. Jake Bunz took the hill next and promptly struck out the first batter he faced for the second out.
Then disaster struck.
Back-to-back wild pitches cleared the bases and gave Maryland a four-run cushion entering the top of the ninth. Caron worked a leadoff walk in the ninth but Terrapin closer Dave Falco quickly retired the next three Huskers to seal the win.
Maryland made all of the 50-50 plays
Tossup moments were the story of the night.
Apart from the Anderson home run in the first inning, Nebraska lost all of them. From the home run robbery in the fifth to Anglim’s strikeout with two on in the eighth, the Huskers couldn’t make the plays they needed to win.
“We had a chance to drive in a run from third with less than two outs and we get thrown out at the plate,” Bolt said of a moment in the fourth inning. “It’s not about being perfect, but it’s about executing.”
No moment was more critical than the Lorusso bases-clearing double in the fourth. The ball just squeaked under Carey’s glove on what could have been an inning-ending double play. Nebraska didn’t have that type of swing Friday.
“We’ve been on the wrong side of those 50-50 plays,” Bolt said. “For the tide to turn for us we’ve got to be ready to go attack and go make those winning plays.”
The Huskers have little margin for error
Nebraska is in the danger zone right now. The Huskers are still four games out of first place but with the loss NU is just two games away from falling out of the Big Ten tournament field all together.
The good (and bad) news is that things could change dramatically on a dime. Nebraska’s goals are still very much in front of it but now is not the time to mess around. Earlier in the season, a competitive loss was excusable. Not anymore.
“That’s no consolation, to compete, because that’s what’s expected,” Bolt said. “We’re not gonna pat ourselves on the back for competing tonight.”
Against a nationally ranked team like Maryland, one or two plays can flip a game on its head. Leaving runners in scoring position or going 0-for-9 with two outs is not an option.
“We had a chance to stretch that lead,” Bolt said. “We’re gonna need to score some runs at times with things other than home runs. Sometimes that’s just taking a ground ball to shortstop to drive in a run.”
The Huskers have plenty to play for, but time is running out.
What’s next for Nebraska baseball?
The Huskers continue their series in College Park at 1:00 p.m. CT on Saturday afternoon. Nebraska’s matchup with Maryland will once again be streamed on Big Ten Plus.
Sunday marks the series finale and first pitch is set for 12:00 p.m. on Big Ten Plus.
