Husker pitching outlasts Utah in extras
On a weekend when a shortage of pitchers has the Nebraska baseball team in a dire situation, the Huskers got exactly what they needed on the mound to avoid a loss in extra innings.
Paul Tillotson got the win in an extended three-inning relief effort, Jake Hohensee picked up his second save and the Husker offense did just enough to edge winless Utah 4-2 in 10 innings.
The bottom of the batting order came through to push the Huskers ahead in extras. Batting in the 8-hole, Mojo Hagge knocked his second hit of the season up the middle to score true freshman Jaxon Hallmark from second base.
A batter later, senior Brison Cronenbold finished a three-hit outing with another single up the middle to score Zac Repinski from second.
On the defensive end, senior right-handed starter Luis Alvarado put together his longest career appearance Friday, scattering 6 hits over 6.0 innings with 5 strikeouts before giving way to Tillotson. Alvarado held the Utes to a 2-for-9 clip with runners in scoring position, getting out of jams the whole game.
“It didn’t look like (Alvarado) was going to last very long with how his stuff was up there,” head coach Darin Erstad said in a postgame interview with the Husker Sports Network. “But boy, he dug down and found a way to get to the sixth, and that was pretty impressive.”
Utah got to Alvarado quickly in the bottom of the first inning. A sacrifice foul out with the bases loaded scored leadoff man DaShawn Keirsey, but Nebraska’s right-hander was able to work out of the jam.
The Huskers equalized in the next frame as sophomore Joe Acker, who replaced Angelo Altavilla at the top of the batting order* (see below story), drove in Hagge on an RBI single through the left side.
Nebraska’s bats went ice cold from there, going hitless for the next 4.2 innings.
“We were kind of flat early, actually, just through (batting practice) and stuff,” Erstad said. “I was a little concerned, quite honestly.
“Just a real gutsy effort on a night we weren’t clicking on all cylinders … those are things you have to fight through, and we found a way.”
Trailing 2-1 after a Utah run in the fourth, Cronenbold broke the dry spell with a one-out single in the seventh. A strikeout, a passed ball and a walk brought senior cleanup hitter Scott Schreiber up with runners on second and third.
Schreiber delivered in the key moment, roping a single up the middle on a 1-1 pitch to bring in Cronenbold and tie the game at 2 heading to the seventh-inning stretch.
With the Huskers short on pitchers after losing Robbie Palkert to injury this week, Tillotson needed an extended relief appearance. All the redshirt freshman did was throw 3.0 innings without putting a runner in scoring position in his longest appearance since a 3.1-inning start last February.
The game was tied at 2 for the entirety of Tillotson’s appearance, but the Huskers didn’t flinch when it came to extra innings. Hallmark drew a one-out walk on a full count and advanced to second when Repinski reached on a throwing error.
The sequence gave way to Hagge and Cronenbold’s offensive heroics, a result Erstad said was important for Hagge to see.
“It’s a huge deal, especially when he hasn’t been swinging the bat or getting the results you want,” Erstad said. “He did a great job of staying in the middle of the field on that one.”
Cronenbold’s insurance gave the Huskers a little breathing room, but Hohensee needed none of it, working a 1-2-3 bottom of the 10th with a strikeout for his second career save.
The Huskers return to action Saturday with a rematch against No. 2 Oregon State at Surprise Stadium. Junior left-hander Jake McSteen is expected to get the ball for first pitch at 5:00 p.m. central time.
Note: Junior infielder Angelo Altavilla’s status for the remainder of the weekend remains in flux. Altavilla got hit in the midsection with a ricocheted foul ball on his plate appearance in the first inning and did not return to the game after finishing the at bat. Head coach Darin Erstad said he left the stadium and was taken to a hospital for further evaluation.