Will Walsh's complete game powers Nebraska past Michigan State

On3 imageby:Grant Hansen05/26/23

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With its back against the wall in an elimination game and a hungry Michigan State squad on deck, Nebraska needed a hero.

So, Will Walsh put on his cape.

The sophomore tossed his first career complete-game shutout at a moment of dire need. Walsh allowed four hits, struck out seven and didn’t issue a walk in nine scoreless innings Friday night. Add in clutch hits from Ben Columbus along with Casey Burnham and the Huskers topped the Spartans 4-0.

“I thought he had a chance to give us some length in this game and I was going to give him the opportunity to do that,” head coach Will Bolt said. “To think that he’s going to give you a complete game? Certainly you don’t expect that.”

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Offensive ineptitude defined Nebraska’s first three innings. The Huskers struck out five times and left four on base in that stretch. But, things changed in the fourth after Charlie Fischer’s leadoff single. He advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt from Dylan Carey and Ben Columbus drove in Nebraska’s first run with a single to center.

Throughout Nebraska’s offensive struggles, Walsh remained cool on the hill and got some key plays from his defense. First, it was Brice Matthews who made a backpedaling, over-the-shoulder catch in right during the fourth.

Then after a double play in the fifth, Gabe Swansen got in on the highlight action in the sixth. The leftfielder stumbled on the warning track and regained his balance to rob Spartan Jack Frank of extra bases.

“Brice, he tracks down those balls like no shortstop I’ve ever seen,” Walsh said. “Just another great play by Brice out there. Then Gabe, ball at the wall, he didn’t know if it was leaving. It was maybe gonna hit the wall and he just stuck his nose on and went and caught it.”

Walsh and the Husker defense bought the bats time and the offense awoke in the eighth. With two outs and a runner on second, Columbus powered his second RBI single of the night to the green grass in right. Then after a Garrett Anglim walk, Casey Burnham cleared the bases with a triple that took a wicked bounce in front of first base.

Burnham had been 0-for-11 with four strikeouts in the Big Ten Tournament prior to that moment. His first hit of the weekend gave the Huskers plenty of insurance and a 4-0 lead. Bolt said Burnham has had his share of tough luck of late. From tough at-bats to lineouts inches away from RBI hits, the last two weeks have been difficult.

“We kinda joke around about certain things you need to do to try and change your luck,” Bolt said. “He was owed that one tonight I guess you could say, by the baseball gods. He put the ball in play with two strikes. That just goes to show that if you move the ball, then you’ve got a shot.”

Walsh answered the bell yet again in the eighth. He gave Nebraska a shutdown 1-2-3 inning to preserve the Huskers’ advantage. In the ninth, he finished Michigan State off and struck out the side to strand a Spartan on first.

Will Walsh saves the day

What a night from Walsh.

Bolt said the key for the lefty is staying ahead in the count. Walsh threw 75 strikes in 104 pitches on Friday.

“He’s always a strike thrower,” Bolt said. “He’s always going to throw the ball over the plate. He gets himself in trouble when he gets behind the count and has to throw the ball to the middle of the plate.”

According to Michigan State skipper Jake Boss, Walsh never let the Spartans find a groove.

“That’s how it’s done,” Boss said. “Three pitches for strikes on both sides of the plate. We were never really comfortable in the box. He kept us off-balance all night long. I mean give him a lot of credit, that’s the blueprint for how to pitch.”

Both of Nebraska’s top relievers, Shay Schanaman and Corbin Hawkins, were unavailable tonight.

If Walsh faltered in the early going, Nebraska’s bullpen would have been taxed even further. Now that group is fully replenished heading into a Saturday in which the Huskers must down Maryland in back-to-back games.

“In order to win a tournament from losing a game early, you’ve got to have performances that save your bullpen,” Bolt said. “We’ve done that at Nebraska. I think we’ve won four conference tournament championships in our history and two of them we’ve had to come from the loser’s bracket.”

The Huskers’ resiliency on full display

Bolt said his team would bounce back after Thursday night’s tough loss. Less than 24 hours later, Anderson said getting back off the mat is just part of baseball.

“It’s nothing new to all of us and we knew that when the sun comes up it’s a new day and it’s the only day we had guaranteed today,” Anderson said. “So, we figured we might as well give everything we have.”

The Huskers’ second baseman crossed his own milestone in the victory. His 4-for-5 night made him the first player in the country to reach 100 hits. Anderson stuck to the formula that has served him well this season.

“This night was what kinda I’ve been doing all year,” Anderson said. “Just being relaxed at the plate. Knowing that I’ve got guys all around the lineup around me that I know are going to do their job. As long as I’m doing my part, I can trust them and they’re trusting me.”

Bolt said he had no doubt his team would show up and compete on Friday. What hurt the Huskers for a night didn’t carry over into two.

“You’re not going to show up the next day down in the dumps because you lost a game,” Bolt said. “That’s just not the way baseball works. If you do that, it’s going to be a short stay in the tournament and these guys are here to win.”

What’s next for Nebraska baseball?

Nebraska meets Maryland for the second time in as many days on Saturday afternoon. The Huskers will need to best the Terrapins twice starting at 1:00 p.m. CT and again later in the evening.

The Big Ten Network will carry both games and fans can listen to the action on the Huskers Radio Network.

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