Nebraska baseball plays "sloppy" in 10-6 loss to Omaha
Nebraska baseball (9-5-1) played “sloppy” in 10-6 loss to Omaha (5-8) as Head Coach Will Bolt described it. The Huskers’ bullpen, seven pitchers to be exact, gave up 10 hits and walked eight batters. The game lasted over three and a half hours.
The Huskers had the bases loaded in the bottom of the eighth with no outs, down 10-6. However, three straight batters struck out to squander away their opportunity.
“It was sloppy,” Bolt said. “Not playing catch, not catching a ball, not fielding a bunt, not throwing strikes. They walked eight also but they made pitches when they needed to. We gave up extra bases. A lot of credit to Omaha. They had some guys up and down their order that took good swings when they needed to.”
Right-handed pitcher Michael Garza started for Nebraska and pitched three scoreless innings and struck out five batters. Third baseman Efry Cervantes led the batters with three hits on four at-bats.
Garza gave up a hit on his first pitch. He refocused and struck out his next batter with three straight strikes. Right fielder Noah Greise hit a grounder to Brice Matthews at shortstop. Matthews turned it into a double play as he stomped on second and gunned it to first.
Omaha’s right-handed pitcher Charlie Bell retired all three Nebraska baseball batters.
Designated hitter Brennen Bales hit a line drive right above Cervantes’ head. Cervantes reached up and snatched it out of the air with the top of his glove for the out. After back-to-back singles, Garza struck out two batters to end the inning and get out of trouble.
After Bell walked Charlie Fischer to start the top of the second, he struck out three straight Nebraska batters.
Garza returned the favor as he punched out two Mavericks in the top of the third. Haiden Hunt, the lead-off hitter and second of the inning, reached first on a throwing error by Matthews. Garza helped retire the next two batters to leave Hunt on second.
With Everitt on base thanks to a walk, Cervantes notched Nebraska’s first hit of the game. He hit a single up the middle and Everitt booked it to third base from first. Cervantes got the Huskers rolling as Cole Evans and Max Anderson both hit singles after Matthews struck out.
Omaha blew the game open in the top of the fourth when Nebraska baseball brought in right-handed pitcher Caleb Clark. Clark allowed four runs on two hits. He gave up two singles to start the inning and then walked two batters before being pulled.
Right-handed pitcher Mason Ornelas came in for Clark. He walked his first batter, struck out the next and then his teammates helped him get the next two outs of the inning. Two more Mavericks scored with Ornelas on the mound but the runs counted toward Clark.
Ornelas lasted on more batter, which he hit in the helmet with a pitch, before he, too, was pulled. Right-handed pitcher Corbin Hawkins took the mound and struck out his first batter. The side-arm pitcher gave up a single up the middle to Zach Lechnir. The next batter flied out to right field and then Hawkins struck out Devin Hurdle to end the inning.
Omaha was up 5-2 in the top of the fifth.
Bell was done after four innings when he walked Everritt to start the bottom of the fifth.
Left-handed pitcher Luke Gainer gave up four hits to Nebraska and walked Anderson. The Huskers scored four runs on Gainer. Cervantes got them started with a single through the right side and then Matthews hit a single down the left field line to get Everritt home.
Caron notched a single and get Anderson home. Swansen hit a big double that went just over the right-fielder’s head for Fischer to score the final run of the inning.
Nebraska brought in closer, right-handed pitcher Shay Schanaman for Hawkins. Schanaman struck out the first battle he faced then walked the next two. With two outs, Frederick doubled down the left field line for two runs.
Schanaman struck out Satisky to close out the inning but not before Omaha went up 7-6.
With two outs in the bottom of the sixth, Matthews hit a single up the middle then advanced to third by stealing the bases. Anderson flied out to deep center field, leaving two runners on base.
Schanaman started the top of the seventh off wonderfully. He threw six straight strikes for two strikeouts. However, the senior and his defense fell apart as he walked the next batter. Then, Hunt reached on a throwing error and Hurdle was safe at home. Lechnir hit a bunt to get on base and then Matt Goetzmann was walked to load the bases. Schanaman struck out the last batter for out No. 3.
Nebraska still struggled at the plate. Outside of a double by Caron, which hit the wall, Nebraska has their other three batters retired.
Around the Horn: Nebraska baseball to play four games in four days against UNO, Nicholls
Left-handed pitcher Kyle Perry came in for Schanaman at the top of the eighth. He allowed two hits, including a two-RBI home run for Omaha to go up 10-6.
Right-handed pitcher Harrison Kreiling came in to walk two Husker batters and allow a Cervantes single to load the bases. Omaha put righty Rans Sanders on the mound to strike out three straight Nebraska baseball players and leave three Huskers on base.
Nebraska put in right-hander Drew Christo to pitch the remainder of the game. The sophomore hit Hunt, his first batter, with a pitch. Hunt was called out at second after Cervantes dove short of a pop up in the grass but slung the ball to second from the ground for the out. Hunt’s pinch runner, Garrett Kennedy made it all the way to third base, without another Omaha hit.
Christo struck out Bales for the last Husker out.
Nebraska had one batter walked in the bottom of the ninth but their other three players were retired for a scoreless, hitless inning.
Playing sloppy:
Bolt said Omaha baseball beat Nebraska in every aspect of the game.
“They deserve to win,” Bolt said. “They made big pitches when they needed to, they got the big hits when they needed to, they moved the ball when they needed to and they made plays when they needed to. They whooped us tonight. I know the scoreboard was closer than that but we didn’t do a whole lot well tonight. We didn’t play good and they outplayed us.”
He said there were good moments of mentality in the game. For example when Nebraska scored first and found ways to get their players on base.
However, the walks and the fielding errors cost Nebraska that game.
“We battle back and take the lead there in the middle innings to have our guys on the mound and it’s walks, not overcoming things, not catching balls to get off the field. I thought the mentality could have been a lot better,” Bolt said. “You load the bases and you’ve got the meat of your order up and just can’t put a ball in play.”
Saving Garza’s bullets:
After three scoreless innings and five strikeouts, Garza was retired back to the bullpen. Bolt said he was happy with the senior’s innings.
The head coach said he thought Garza was the only one of Nebraska’s seven pitchers to do a good job on Tuesday.
“He certainly could have kept going,” he said. “You’ve got possibly three or four more games left this week and we’ve got a doubleheader coming up. You can’t waste all of his bullets for the week, necessarily.”
It’s very likely Nebraska fans will see Garza on the mound again this weekend.
Up next:
Nebraska is off to Manhattan, Kansas, to take on Nicholls at Kansas State’s Tointon Family Stadium. The series was originally scheduled for Haymarket Park but moved due to cold weather in Lincoln.
The Huskers and Colonels play on Thursday at 11:00 a.m. CT. They have a doubleheader on Friday starting at 2:30 p.m.
