Dominant pitching key in 8-3 win against Washington State
Nebraska (2-0) pitching controlled everything from start to finish, as they secure the first of two games on Saturday with a 8-3 win over Washington State (0-2).
Washington State junior pitcher Cody Anderson got off to a fast start as he recorded four strikeouts in the first three innings. Nebraska junior pitcher Jake McSteen (1-0, would keep pace as he allowed only one hit through the first four innings. He also struck out three batters.
Meanwhile, the Huskers offense couldn’t get much going until the bottom of the fourth inning when sophomore Mojo Hagge was walked and senior outfielder Scott Schreiber hit a single over the second basemen’s head. That’s when junior catcher Jesse Wilkening hit his third RBI single of the weekend resulting in a Hagge run. This was followed up by a sacrifice flyout by junior infielder Alex Henwood that would increase the Nebraska lead to two.
McSteen finished with five innings pitched, no runs allowed, two walks and three strikeouts. Redshirt freshman pitcher Paul Tillotson came in to replace McSteen to start off the sixth inning. It’s only the third appearance in Tillotson’s career.
After a lead-off triple in the sixth inning for Hagge, WSU replaced Anderson with sophomore left-handed pitcher AJ Block. Block walked back-to-back batters to make it bases-loaded for the Huskers with no outs. Nebraska was able to put up one more run, despite the double-play by Washington State.
Nebraska extended its lead in the seventh inning after freshman Jaxon Hallmark reached base thanks to a fielding error. Sophomore utility Ben Klenke was hit by a pitch and sophomore outfielder Joe Acker bunted to make it bases-loaded with no outs. Junior third-baseman Angelo Altavilla was hit by a pitch that made it 4-0 Nebraska.
After Washington State recorded its third error of the game, Nebraska piled on with another two runs. Wilkening followed that up with a double to right center that scored another two runs for the Huskers. Wilkening finished with four RBI.
Tillotson locked in from the first pitch and retired the six batters he faced. Junior left-handed pitcher Mitch Steinhoff came in and walked-in a run Nebraska allowed today. Junior Ethan Frazier came in, but threw a wild pitch and allowed another run. Frazier threw five pitches and was replaced by senior pitcher Jake Hohensee. He came in and was able to secure the win.
Nebraska had no errors, but allowed three runs in the ninth inning. They walked four batters and finished sloppy. Although, it was a really solid first eight innings for Ted Silva's crew.
Nebraska will take on UC Riverside at 5 p.m central time. Junior pitcher Nate Fisher will get the start. The game can be heard on the Huskers Sports IMG Network.