Husker baseball woes continue as TCU takes Game 2
The Nebraska baseball team (1-5) gave up 13 free bases and struck out 12 times in their 8-3 loss to TCU (5-1). Both sides of the ball struggled to find their grove and NU will look to avoid being swept in the third game of the series on Sunday.
To start the game, Leighton Banjoff doubled to lead off, and it looked to energize the team. However, after that hit, not much went the way of the Huskers. The next three batters went down in order, two of them striking out.
Following the runner in scoring position left stranded, Shay Schanaman started on the mound for the Big Red and things went array quickly. The senior walked the leadoff batter and gave up a two-run home run in the next at-bat. After striking out three to close the first inning down 2-0, Schanaman gave two free bases in the second inning. With one out, the starter's day was done.
Ethan Bradford took over on the bump and worked his way out of the jam in the second. The third inning didn't go quite so well for the lefty. Three runs on three hits gave TCU a 5-0 lead.
The Nebraska offense finally broke through in the fourth inning when Max Anderson singled, and Cam Chick hit the Huskers' first home run of the season, a two-run shot.
Mason Ornelas took the ball in the bottom of the fourth and threw two and a third scoreless innings. CJ Hood followed up the junior and allowed one run in the two-thirds of an inning that he pitched.
However, after the Horned Frogs made their lead four runs, NU saw Colby Gomes hit a monster home run to deep left field and make it 6-3. The looming comeback didn't last long however, and after Jackson Brocket gave up three free bases, Tyler Martin came in to pitch. Martin allowed a single and two more runs scored, but he was able to limit the damage to just that.
Chandler Benson got three outs from the mound, but the Big Red offense did nothing more and Nebraska lost their third straight, and fifth game of the year.
Too many free bases
The Husker pitching staff walked 10 Horned Frog batter and hit three. Of those 13 free bases, four of them scored after getting on the base paths. NU pitchers also walked the leadoff batter in four of the eight innings they played defense.
It started mostly with Schanaman when he walked three batters and hit two in just one and a third innings. Bradford also walked three, and those were the first two pitchers of the day for the Big Red
Not only did the first two pitchers give out eight free bases, but they only went three full innings combined; a recipe for a rough outing.
K after K
The struggles weren't only on the defense. The Nebraska offense had just two explosive moments, when Chick and Gomes hit their home runs. Other than those moments, Husker batters struck out 12 times. Both Luke Jessen and Griffin Everitt went down on strikes three times, and Leighton Banjoff went down twice. Seven of the NU batters struck out at least once; another recipe for a rough outing.
What's next?
The Big Red will get one more shot at TCU on Sunday at 1:00 p.m.
Following this series, Nebraska will play one final road series in Arlington, Texas with two games against both Northwestern State and UT Arlington.
Sunday's game can be streamed on FloBaseball.tv and heard on the Husker Sports Radio Network.