Huskers Fall in Extras to Arizona, 11-10

San Diego – The Nebraska baseball team (1-4) played extra innings for the first time this season and fell to the No. 23 Arizona Wildcats (3-3), 11-10, in 10 innings. The Huskers tied the game, 10-10, in the bottom of the eighth with four runs, but were unable to add any more the rest of the way, while the Wildcats picked up their ninth two-RBI of the game in the top of the 10th on their way to victory.

Alfonso Rivas started the top of the 10th with a single and was quickly at second base following a passed ball that would prove costly. Freshman relieve Chad Luensmann notched a strikeout and a ground out, but then Louis Boyd came through with a two-out single that drove in Rivas for the eventual game-winning run. The Husker got the tying run on base in the bottom of the frame when Ben Miller worked a one-out walk, but Bobby Dalbec got consecutive pop outs to seal the win for the Wildcats.

Arizona’s two-out hitting was the story, as the Wildcats drove in nine of their 11 runs with nine two-out hits, including three-run home run by Ryan Aguilar in the top of the eighth that gave Arizona a 10-6 lead. Nebraska totaled 14 hits on the day, including three from Ryan Boldt and two each from Jake Placzek, Ben Miller, Jake Meyers and Steven Reveles. Placzek notched a home run and a double, while driving in a career-high four runs.

With no runs in the first three innings though their first four games of the year, the Huskers got on the board early thanks to the long ball. Boldt led off the bottom of the first with a single and then Placzek notched his second career home run with a deep fly ball to left-center field, giving NU a 2-0 lead.

NU starter Garett King stranded a pair of runners in the first, but couldn’t repeat it in the second. Dalbec worked a walk to start the frame, but King responded with two straight outs, including a strikeout of Jared Oliva. With Dalbec still on first, King gave up three straight hits, including a double to Rivas, and Wildcats scored three runs with two outs to take a 3-2 lead.

The teams were both shutout in the third, but in the fourth the Wildcats added to their lead with a home run. After facing two batters in the inning, King was replaced by redshirt freshman Jake McSteen and the lefty was welcomed by a two-run home run from Rivas, his third hit of the day. McSteen retired the next two Wildcats, but not before Arizona stretched its lead to 5-2.

Nebraska sent nine men to the plate in the fifth and jumped back in front with four runs on three hits, two walks and a hit-by-pitch. UA starter Cameron Ming struck out Placzek to start the frame, but was then knocked out of the game following back-to-back singles from Miller and Scott Schreiber. Austin Schnabel took the mound and failed to get at out as he hit Meyers to load the bases and walked Jesse Wilkening, scoring Miller. Arizona then went to Cody Moffett and he walked pinch-hitter Luis Alvarado to force in another run. Reveles then came through with the biggest hit of the inning, a two-RBI single that put the Huskers in front 6-5. Moffett put an end to the threat with back-to-back outs.

The momentum swung back in Arizona’s favor in the top of the seventh when back-to-back two-out hits gave the Wildcats the lead. With a runner on first and two outs the Huskers turned to senior Jeff Chesnut and Dalbec welcomed him with a double off the wall. Chesnut had another chance to get out of the inning with no damage, but Justin Behnke delivered a two-RBI single that gave the Wildcats back the lead, 7-6.

The Wildcats continued to get two-out hits in the eighth, with Ryan Aguilar launching a three-run no doubter over the right-field wall. The Wildcats notched four hits in the inning, with the three-run homer pushing Arizona’s lead to 10-6.

Trailing 10-6 and with only six outs to work with the NU offense evened the game with four runs on four hits. Following a leadoff walk to Reveles, the Huskers rattled off three straight hits, including back-to-back doubles from Boldt and Placzek. The Wildcats nearly got out of the inning with the lead, but Meyers came through with a two-out single that scored Placzek to even the score, 10-10. Meyers stole second to put himself in scoring position, but Dalbec got Alvarado to groundout to end the inning.

Both teams got a runner on in the ninth, but neither could score, sending the game to extra innings tied 10-10. The Wildcats were able to cash in a leadoff single in the 10th, while the Huskers failed to drive in a one-out walk.

The Huskers wrap up the Tony Gwynn Classic tomorrow at Fowler Park at 12:30 p.m. (CT). Tomorrow’s opponent is yet to be announced as it will depend on results of other games today at Fowler Park and Tony Gwynn Stadium.