Huskers Drop Series at Indiana

Bloomington, Ind. - After taking the series opener on Saturday 13-2, the Nebraska baseball team (29-18, 9-9) dropped a double header to the Indiana Hoosiers on Sunday afternoon at Sembower Field to lose the three-game series. The Huskers totaled six runs on 11 hits in the series finale, but the IU batters were even tougher on NU's pitching with nine runs on 16 hits.

Senior catcher Cory Burleson led the Huskers with a career-high tying four RBI's on two hits, while Josh Scheffert and Austin Darby also had two hits each.

Sophomore Michael Pritchard increased his hitting streak to 24 games with a one-out single in the top of the third. The hit moved Pritchard one game ahead of Curtis Ledbetter (2003 - 23), as Pritchard now has the fourth longest streak in NU history since 1958 and is one game behind Derek Dukart's 25-game streak from 1994.

Rich Sanguinetti scored the first run of the game in the top of the first on Richard Stock's team-leading third triple of the year with two outs after reaching on a double. IU responded with two runs in the bottom of the frame on three straight one-out singles, before Dillon Dooney flied out and Micah Johnson was caught trying to steal home.

The Hoosiers then knocked NU starter Zach Hirsch out of the game in the second after the lefty gave up four runs on four straight two-out hits, including two triples and a double. Dylan Vogt came into the game and retired Michael Basil to put an end to the damage with IU up 6-1.

After Vogt faced just three Hoosiers in the bottom of the third, as Burleson threw out Dooney at second on a steal attempt after he led off the inning with a single, the Huskers plated three runs in the top of the fourth on four hits to cut IU's lead to 6-4. NU produced three straight one-out singles to load the bases for Pat Kelly, who drove in a run with a sacrifice fly. Burleson followed with his first hit of the series, as he drove in two with a double into the left-center field gap.

Indiana got two of the runs back in the bottom of the fourth on a two-out double by Basil after Vogt loaded the bases with a pair of walks. Vogt struck out Dooney to end the inning, but IU was back up four, 8-4.

The Huskers had their 3-4-5 hitters up in the fifth, but IU starter Chad Martin retired NU in order after giving up at least one hit in each of the first four innings. The NU bats got going in the sixth with two runs on two hits, including a two-RBI single by Burleson.

Freshman Aaron Bummer took the mound in the bottom of the sixth for NU and retired IU's 2-3-4 hitters in order, including a strikeout to end the inning. Bummer then got the first two Hoosiers in the seventh before giving up a pair of two-out singles that pushed IU's lead to three at 9-6.

Nebraska has the tying run at the plate in the eight with two outs, but couldn't get anything going. NU then went down in order in the ninth to end the weekend.

The Huskers will wrap up their three-game season series with the Creighton Bluejays at TD Ameritrade Park on Tuesday night at 7 p.m. NU has won the first two meetings of the season and the game will be shown across the state on NET. The Huskers get back to conference action next weekend when they host Minnesota at Hawks Field.