Huskers Drop Finale to Texas A&M

College Station, Texas ? A pair of big innings spelled the Huskers’ fate, as Texas A&M used a pair of five-run innings and got a strong performance from starter Kyle Thebeau in a 10-1 victory Sunday afternoon.

The Aggies (25-14, 11-7 Big 12) did all of their scoring in the second and fourth innings, putting up five runs in both frames to take a 10-1 lead en route to improving to 8-0 in conference home tilts. Brooks Raley, Luke Anders, Joe Patterson and David Alleman all drove in two runs apiece for the Aggies on the afternoon. 

Thebeau (2-1) picked up the victory, scattering four hits over seven innings of work in his first start of the year. The right-hander fanned four and retired the final 12 Huskers he faced, as Aggie pitch set down the final 18 Huskers in a row.

Adam Bailey accounted for the Huskers (17-21-1, 4-14 Big 12) with a fourth-inning RBI single. Cody Asche, and Cory Burleson both had doubles on the day, while Tyler Farst’s base hit accounted for the Huskers’ other three hits in the loss.

The Aggies got all the runs they needed in the second off of Husker starter Casey Hauptman (2-4). Consecutive singles by Kevin Gonzalez and Patterson opened the frame before Caleb Shofner walked to load the bases. Alleman then roped a Hauptman offering to right center for a two-run double to get Texas A&M on the scoreboard. After Hauptman struck out Adam Smith, Brodie Greene’s slow roller went underneath the glove of Ben Kline, allowing one run to score while Greene moved to second on the error. Raley then laid down a bunt which not only scored Alleman from third, but also Greene, who was running on contact, from second.

Nebraska got one of the runs back in the top of the third, as Bailey’s RBI single plated Burleson, who doubled and moved to third on a Jeff Tezak ground out.

Texas A&M struck again in the fourth, as they chased Hauptman, who allowed seven runs on eight hits over 3.1 innings.  With one out, consecutive singles by Smith and Green ended the day for the Husker right-hander. Nate Kerkhoff walked Raley to load the bases before Anders blooped a two-run single to left. Michael Mariot tried to stem the tide, but a two-out single by Joe Patterson and a run-scoring hit by Shofner extended the margin to 10-1.

Reliever Mike Nesseth kept the Huskers in the game with four shutout innings, but Nebraska could not muster another base hit after Asche led off the fourth with a double, as Thebeau and Estevan Uriegas combined to keep the Huskers without a baserunner after the fifth, sending NU to its 10th consecutive conference loss. Sunday’s loss also marked the first time NU had been swept by Texas A&M since 1999.

The Huskers return to action on Tuesday night, as they travel to Omaha’s Rosenblatt Stadium to take on the Creighton Bluejays. First pitch is set for 6:30 p.m. and the game will be carried on the Husker Sports Network, including KLIN 1400 AM in Lincoln, KFAB 1110 AM in Omaha and KRVN 880 AM in Lexington.