Burkamper Stifles Colonels, Huskers Win 6-1

Lincoln – Behind a dominant 8.0-inning performance from Derek Burkamper and a five-run fifth inning from the Husker offense, the Nebraska baseball team (24-14, 7-5 Big Ten) opened up its series with the Nicholls State Colonels (16-23, 7-11 Southland) with a 6-1 victory on Friday night at Hawks Field.

Burkamper went a season-high 8.0 innings and was just short of his career-high 8.1 innings against Texas last season. The junior right hander allowed one run on seven hits and one walk, while striking out four. Burkamper retired the Colonels in order four times on the night and Reece Eddins put them away in order in the ninth, including strikeouts of the final two batters of the game.

In the win, Burkamper improved to 4-1 on the year and is in the only Husker pitcher to go at least 7.0 innings this season, doing it twice.

The Huskers scored six runs off Nicholls State starter Justin Sinibaldi, who was the 2015 Southland Conference Pitcher of the Year. The senior right hander allowed eight hits and walked three, while striking out two. Sinibaldi entered the game with 60 strikeouts and just 15 walks in 65 innings over nine starts.

All nine batters in NU’s lineup recorded a hit, including a team-high two from Luis Alvarado. Ben Miller drove in the eventual game-winning run with a two-out single in the fifth and Scott Schreiber followed with a three-run homer that blew the game wide open.

The Huskers jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the second, taking advantage of a leadoff hit-by-pitch. Silibaldi plunked Jake Meyers to open the frame and he was quickly in scoring position after Taylor Fish laid down a sacrifice bunt. A ground ball to the right side of the infield off the bat of Alvarado moved Meyers to third and Jake Schleppenbach drove in Meyers with a two-out single to left field.

After Burkamper stranded a leadoff single in the fifth, his offense went to work in the bottom of the frame and scored five runs, all with two outs, to take a 6-0 lead. All nine Huskers batters came to the plate in the inning.

Alvarado opened the bottom of the fifth with a single, Schleppenbach walked and Steven Reveles notched an infield single to load the bases with no out for the top of NU’s lineup. Sinibaldi dug in and got back-to-back pop ups and quickly there were two outs. The right hander was unable to get out of the jam though, as Miller delivered a two-RBI single to right field before Schreiber blasted a three-run homer deep into the left-center field berm. Meyers followed with an infield single, NU’s fifth hit of the inning and third with two outs, before Silibaldi retired Fish to end the frame.

Working with a 6-0 lead, Burkamper sat the Colonels down in order in the sixth, his fourth 1-2-3 inning of the game. The Colonels ended the shutout in the seventh when Kyle Knauth led off with a home run, his first of the year and Nicholls State’s fourth of the season. Burkamper retired the next three batters, including a spectacular diving catch by Meyers down the right-field line to end the Colonels’ seventh.

Burkamper hung another zero on the board in the eighth before Eddins polished off the win with a quick 1-2-3 ninth inning.

The series continues tomorrow at 2:05 p.m. and will be streamed live on BTN Plus (subscription required).