Early mistakes cost Huskers in 4-3 loss
LINCOLN, Neb. - A litany of errors, free bases and infield hits smacked the Huskers in the jaw early, and even a superb bullpen effort couldn’t get them out of a hole.
Kansas State jumped on Matt Warren in a 2.0-inning start, Nebraska managed just five hits and the Wildcats snapped a nine-game losing streak to beat the Huskers (16-18) at Hawks Field.
Despite the meager hitting effort, the Huskers finished an opportunistic .400 with runners in scoring position on the evening, hitting .500 until the final two batters. But with only five hits (later assessed in the press box as four hits and an error) to Nebraska’s credit, the opportunities were scarce.
“Sounds a little more opportunistic than I thought it looked,” head coach Darin Erstad said, referencing the RISP stats, “but again, if you’re not getting guys on base early in the innings, it can be very difficult. That’s where we’re at.”
Kansas State came out on the offensive, sticking five baserunners on Warren through the first two frames. The start of the third was a nightmare for the Husker senior as a walk, a wild pitch, a double and an error plated one (eventually two) and sent the right-hander back to the dugout.
Facing a 3-0 deficit, Nebraska responded with its first baserunner and eventually its first hit in the bottom of the third. With Jaxon Hallmark and Gunner Hellstrom on the corners, sophomore outfielder Mojo Hagge battled back to knock a payoff pitch into left center, scoring Hallmark and setting the stage for Jesse Wilkening to drive in Hellstrom.
“(The pitcher) is trying to get you behind right off the bat, so the key is to beat him early,” Wilkening said of the opportunistic hitting. “That’s what happened tonight, a lot of guys got good swings off in good counts.”
With the deficit at 3-2, Nebraska was a bang-bang play away from getting out of the fourth inning unscathed. A soft ground ball from Wildcat shortstop Cameron Thompson forced the Husker fielders to converge, and a low throw to Scott Schreiber at first was bobbled as Thompson stepped on the bag, scoring a run from third.
That controversial hit/error play was the last run a Husker pitcher would let in. Junior lefty Nate Fisher and junior right-hander Mike Waldron combined to allow just one baserunner the rest of the way, retiring 16 of the final 17 batters they faced.
“In the situation - down one - I just really wanted to make quick outs and pound the zone to give us a chance to get in the hitting side again,” Waldron said. “I had a lot of good defense behind me, so that helped out.”
Mounting a threat in the bottom of the fifth with a Wilkening RBI double, Nebraska found itself back in the game with the score at 4-3. But that shot to the gap in right center was the last hit that would come off a Husker bat the rest of the night.
The final four Nebraska frames saw just one runner get in scoring position as the Huskers swung at first pitches up, down, in and out of the zone. 12 of the final 16 NU batters failed to reach base, with all four walks coming with one out.
Meanwhile, Schreiber snapped a torrid 12-game hitting streak on the unlucky 13th outing, going 0-for-5 with a strikeout and never much of a threat. In the final at bat of the game, the Husker senior offered a check swing too far forward, squaring the ball down the first base line for the finishing out.
With the loss, the Huskers fell two games below .500 at the latest calendar date since the 2013 season.
“It’s not lack of effort,” Erstad said, pointing specifically to defensive miscues. “These guys are just trying to make plays and just trying to do too much.”
The Huskers return to action Wednesday night at Hawks Field, looking to take their first game of the season against in-state rival Omaha. First pitch is set for 6:35 p.m. on BTN Plus.