Nebraska baseball shuts out Illinois State 12-0 to capture series win

On3 imageby:Abby Barmore03/11/23

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Nebraska baseball (9-4-1) shut out Illinois State (5-8) 12-0 as they scored three runs in the second inning and four in the third and seventh innings. The Huskers took down the Redbirds 8-3 on Friday and with Saturday’s victory, capture the series win.

Despite the mid-30-degree temperatures and a wet playing surface, Nebraska has no struggle hitting. The Huskers had 12 runs on 10 hits. However, their 12-game home run streak came to an end.

To start the game, right-handed pitcher Jace Kaminska sat down his first three bats. His defense caught two pop flies and shortstop Brice Matthews grounded out a runner.

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Illinois State returned the favor by retiring all three Huskers. Shortstop Luke Cheng slipped while fielding Matthews’ hit and made a great throw to first base from the ground to get out Matthews.

Kaminska earned his first strikeout of the game in the top of the second. Nebraska retired three more batters as the right-handed pitcher struck out the third player up to bat.

Charlie Fischer knocked a ball through the right side in the bottom of the second for the first hit of the game. Left-handed pitcher Tyrelle Chadwick hit the next batter, Gabe Swansen. Cole Evans sent a ball to left field for an RBI double.

Nebraska went up 3-0 as Casey Burnham bounced a single up the middle of the field for two runs.

Husker Head Coach Will Bolt said this was the hit of the game as Burnham kept the inning going and got the offense jumpstarted.

In the top of the third, Matthews committed his field error since the South Alabama series in late February. He underthrew Fischer at first who couldn’t snag the ball for the out. Luke Lawrence stayed on first as the Huskers got out the next two batters to end the inning.

The Huskers’ offense went back to work as Chadwick walked one batter and hit two more. Nebraska hit three consecutive singles to score three runs. Carey was hit by a pitch to load the bases to end Chadwick’s game.

Right-handed pitched Jayson Hibbard took the mound with Nebraska up 6-0 with one out in the bottom of the third. He walked Burnham for a run but then the Redbirds sat down the next two batters to end the inning, down 7-0.

Illinois earned its first hit of the game as Greg Nichols‘ singled to right field but he was stranded as catcher Josh Caron caught a foul ball then Nichols was caught stealing second to end the inning.

After the Huskers were retired 1-2-3, Illinois State got two players on base as Kaminska walked on on a full count and Lawrence hit one through the left side. Nebraska got out of trouble as Gretna, Neb. native Blake Stenger bunted right to the pitcher for out No. 3.

Evans slipped a hit through the left side and then stole second base. However, he was stuck on second as Hibbard struck out Carey and Burnham for the final two outs of the inning.

Nebraska and Kaminska sat down three Redbirds in the top of the sixth.

In the home half of the inning, Matthews was walked on a full count. He stole second then advanced to third on a wild pitch. Columbus hit a sacrifice fly ball to deep center field to allow Matthews to score.

Nebraska baseball blasts Illinois State’s bullpen, Schanaman earns save in 8-3 victory

The Redbirds’ offense kept pushing but couldn’t get a run scored. Noah Rabin singled to right field and then Shay Kubo reached on a fielder’s choice to first base. Carey gunned down Rabin at second but Anderson came up just shy of a double-play at first.

In the bottom of the seventh, Swansen hit a single through the left side and then Evans crushed a ball to deep left-center field for 2 RBIs. Griffin Everitt, who was pinch-hitting for Burnham, bounced a ball off the back wall in right field for an RBI triple.

Matthews launched a sacrifice fly into right field for an RBI and for Nebraska to score its fourth run of the inning. Columbus struck out for the final out of the inning. The Huskers went up 11-0 in the seventh.

Left-handed pitcher Jalen Worthley came in for Kaminska in the top of the eighth. Kaminska threw 104 pitches in seven innings and allowed three hits and struck out two batters.

Worthley allowed a lead-off single then struck out back-to-back hitters. Cheng took his base on a 3-0 count. The freshman from Lincoln East refocused after a visit from coach Jeff Christy at the mound. He threw three straight strikes to end the inning.

The Huskers went scoreless and hitless in the bottom of the eighth.

Freshman left-handed pitcher JC Gutierrez started the ninth inning on the mound for Nebraska. He walked the first batter and then came back from a 3-1 disadvantage to strike out Rabin. Kubo flied out and then pinch-hitter MacCallan Conklin was walked.

JT Sokolove grounded out to first for the final out of the game. Nebraska completed its first shutout win of the season.

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Huskers have hitters from top to bottom

Nebraska had 12 runs on 10 hits despite the first four batters in its lineup going 0-for-14. The backend of the batter order really stepped up as its top hitters were cold on Saturday.

“It’s hard to do,” Bolt said. “There were some good things at the top of the order too, had a couple runs driven in up there, a couple barrel balls that didn’t show up as hits. It shows that you don’t have to have one or two guys carry it. The back half of the lineup did amazingly well. Cole Evans, heck of a day.”

Right-fielder Cole Evans led the team by going 4-for-4 and had four RBIs. The junior Parkland College transfer said he just had a “good day at the yard” for him.

“It’s never going to be up to one guy or any two or three guys,” Evans said. “We have guys up and down the lineup that can swing it so there is no pressure on anybody. It’s going to be different dude every day getting the job done.”

Lead-off hitter Brice Matthews, who was hitting .531 before Saturday’s game when 0-for-3 at the plate but had a sacrifice fly ball for an RBI. Max Anderson was hitting .481 before he went 0-for-5 on Saturday. Anderson had two hits on Friday against the Redbirds and is 2-for-10 during the series.

Burnham, who had Bolt’s hit of the game, had really boosted the Huskers in the ninth spot on the lineup. Bolt said that part of the graduate transfer from Kansas’s game is hitting hard-line drive balls down the middle of the field.

“We needed a spark right there in that spot and he provided that for us,” Bolt said.

Olsen, Kaminska turning into good 1-2 punch

Friday starter Emmett Olsen and Saturday starter Jace Kaminska are shaping up to be a nice 1-2 punch for Nebraska. Olsen went six innings on Friday and allowed four hits and two runs. On Saturday, Kaminska shut out Illinois State in his seven innings.

The duo has allowed four hits and two runs in a combined 13 innings over the last two games.

Bolt said it feels good to have Kaminska’s reliability on the mound on Saturdays to back up Olsen.

“You know what you’re going to get from Jace. He’s going to throw the ball over the plate and he’s going to have a good fastball and a good breaking ball going pretty much every single time out. It gives the team a lot of confidence especially when he sets the tone early with a quick inning at the top and gets us to the plate. It’s a luxury to have him in the two-hole there.”

Bolt thought Kaminska’s fastball was better on Saturday than he had seen it.

“It’s been good but I think the (velocity) might have been a little bit up which is saying something considering how chilly it was today,” Bolt said. “Fastball command has been incredible. Curveball command has been incredible. Mix a few changeups in there.”

With how well he has been pitching, Bolt said he is a little surprised the strikeouts haven’t been there. However, he said Nebraska hasn’t needed that from him yet and he thinks Kaminska can deliver ‘K’s what they need them.

Kaminska isn’t worried about strikeouts, “they’re like icing on the cake,” he said.

“It’s not a big deal as long as we keep winning,” Kaminska said. “If I’m going seven each time, I don’t care if I get any other one for the rest of the year.”

Next up:

Nebraska baseball will go for a series sweep over Illinois State on Sunday at 1:05 p.m. at Haymarket Park. The game will be televised on B1G+ and can be heard on the Huskers Radio Network.

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