Nebraska bats manage just two hits in 1-0 loss to Iowa

One swing of the bat made all the difference on Friday afternoon.

The Nebraska offense that had tallied 38 hits and plated 41 runs in the last three games put together just two hits in a shutout defeat. Iowa starter Adam Mazur went the full nine innings striking out six and facing just four batters over the limit. A solo shot to right was all the scoring in a 1-0 loss, the Huskers first home shutout since 2019.

Nebraska right-hander Shay Schanaman worked around some early traffic on the base paths in the first. With a Hawkeye in scoring position, the senior sandwiched a walk with a lineout and groundout to hang a zero in the first. The Huskers came up empty at the plate in the bottom half and the game was even at zero through one.

The second inning was highlighted by Core Jackson's diving snag at second to rob Iowa's Sam Petersen of a two-out single. Both teams went down in order in the frame. Iowa put together a two-out rally in the third with a walk and a single but the Huskers stymied the Hawkeyes again after a line out ended the inning.

The Huskers loaded the bases in the home half of the third. Jackson began the inning with a walk and was advanced to second with a sacrifice bunt. Cam Chick walked with two outs and Garrett Anglim was hit by a pitch putting runners on all three bags. Up came Griffin Everitt and Nebraska's leading batter went down on three pitches to end the inning.

Iowa began the fourth with a bang. No 5 hitter Izaya Fullard eeked his second home run of the year just over the fence in right field. Next Brendan Sher reached on a single and it looked as if things would spiral downward for the Huskers. Schanaman responded. The right-hander struck out the side to close the top of the inning with the Hawkeyes ahead 1-0.

After a scoreless fourth for Nebraska, Iowa kept the pressure on. A pair of one-out singles had the Hawkeyes in prime position to extend their lead. Then a ground ball came Jackson's way at second and he tagged one Iowa runner in the base paths and threw to first to complete the inning-ending double play.

Jackson kept his strong day going with a leadoff single in the bottom of the fifth. The freshman was caught stealing just a few pitches later and Iowa came away unscathed yet again.

Schanaman entered the sixth with 95 pitches. The Grand Island native needed just eight pitches apiece to cleanup the next two innings. But the Huskers couldn't get it done at the plate. In the sixth and seventh combined Nebraska went one for six with a strikeout.

Tyler Martin relieved Schanaman in the eighth for his team-leading eighteenth appearance of the season. He worked a clean frame to set things up for a pair of Husker pinch hitters. Nick Wimmers and Luke Jessen couldn't jumpstart the Nebraska bats and went 1-2-3 in the eighth and ninth sealing the defeat.

Shay Schanaman had perhaps his best start of the season on Friday. The senior had thrown a complete-game shutout of Northwestern State earlier this season, but Iowa is much better competition. It's a good sign to see Schanaman bounce back after a tough outing against Indiana last weekend in which he threw 88 pitches in four innings of work.

Against the Hawkeyes, he went seven innings allowing one earned run and six hits that he scattered throughout the outing. He also tossed eight punchouts which tied his season high for the third time this year.

Schanaman struggled at times with command in the early innings of his start, "chasing the count" as head coach Will Bolt said. Yet he recovered and finding enough in the tank to deliver two key "bonus" innings in the sixth and seventh. The 111 pitches he threw were the most of his career.

Adam Mazur was just better.

Mazur went the complete game, shutting out Nebraska with six strikeouts and two hits allowed. Schanaman declined a media appearance after the game. It's easy to sense why he would be frustrated after such a great outing ended in defeat.

Core Jackson is going to be a weapon for Nebraska.

After an early adjusting period, the Canadian has really gotten comfortable for the Huskers. The freshman made two really solid plays on Friday. He made a diving stop at second and turned a heady double play in the fifth.

To top it off, he cracked one of the Husker's two hits. Not counting the interference error against Indiana last weekend, his last fielding error came on April 15 versus BYU. He has a six-game hitting streak with seven hits in those six games, a .437 batting average and three RBIs.

If he can keep it going over the weekend, Nebraska could have a late-season weapon on its hands.

Nebraska resumes the series with Iowa for game two on Saturday. First pitch is set for 2:02 p.m. and the game will be streamed on BTN+. The radio broadcast will be available via the Huskers Radio Network.