Huskers Improve to 5-1 in Big Ten with 9-7 Win

Lincoln – After dropping the series opener on Friday night, the Nebraska baseball team (19-8, 5-1 Big Ten) responded with victories in the final two games of its series with the Illinois Fighting Illini (11-14, 3-3 Big Ten), including a 9-7 win on Sunday in front of a packed house on an 80 degree day at Hawks Field. The Huskers won their second straight conference series and improved to 5-1 on the year in league play.

It’s the first Big Ten series loss by Illinois since the 2014 season, when the Huskers took 2-of-3 at home to end the regular season. The Illini entered the week with an 18-3 record in Big Ten road games dating back to the start of the 2014 season and are now 19-5, with four of the losses coming in Lincoln.

Scott Schreiber led the way on Sunday with a career-high four hit day, including a two-run homer in the fifth that tied the game 6-6. The sophomore slugger also matched a career high with four RBIs and scored a pair of runs. Schreiber hit .500 (7-for-14) on the series with seven RBIs. Ben Miller also had a strong day at the plate, going 3-for-5, including a double.

With a thin bullpen, freshman Matt Waldron gave the Huskers 5.1 innings and was nearly knocked out of the game in the second when he took a line drive off his throwing arm, but hung in the game and got the Huskers into the sixth inning.

After taking the loss on Friday, reliever Jeff Chesnut dominated the Illini over 2.1 scoreless innings, allowing one hit and striking out three. Chesnut improved to 3-1 on the year in his 77th career appearance. Freshman closer Chad Luensmann completed his fifth save of the year with 1.1 innings. He did give up a run in the ninth, but struck out three, including the final two batters of the game.  

The Illini took a 2-0 lead in the first, and both runs were unearned due to a Husker error. Adam Walton and Dan Rowbottom started the game with back-to-back singles before Waldron got an easy 1-3 putout. The freshman then got a pop up off the bat of Pat McInerney, but Jake Schleppenbach dropped the ball, allowing Walton to score. A 6-3 groundout should have ended the inning, but because of the earlier error another run crossed the plate. Waldron put an end to the frame with his first strikeout of the game.

After the one-out error, Waldron retired the next 10 batters he faced until Doran Turchin snapped the streak with a two-out single in the fourth.

Waldron put down the Illini in order in the second and NU’s offense took the lead in the bottom of the frame with three runs on two hits. With a runner on first and one out, Illinois freshman starter Cole Bellair issued consecutive walks to load the bases and Schleppenbach made up for his error in the first with a game-tying two-RBI single. Steven Reveles followed with a sac fly to right field, giving the Huskers a 3-2 lead.

Nebraska tacked on another run in the third, as Jake Placzek led off with a walk and scored on Miller’s eighth double of the season.

Waldron retired his 10th straight batter for the second out in the fourth, but couldn’t put the Illini down in order for the third straight inning. Turchin started a two-out rally with a single, the first of six straight hits that scored four runs, giving Illinois a 6-4 lead. Waldron ended the rally with a strikeout of Jason Goldstein, Illinois’ ninth batter of the inning.

Following Waldron’s third 1-2-3 inning in the fifth, the Huskers evened the game at 6-6 on Schreiber’s mammoth home run. NU had its leadoff man on for the fourth straight inning when Miller led off with a single and then Schreiber blasted a 3-1 offering from Bellair deep into the left-center field berm.

Illinois had the bases loaded with one out in the sixth and the Huskers had Chesnut on the mound. In The Omaha native got out of the jam with a pop up from Rowbottom and a fly out off the bat of Goldstein.

With the momentum on their side, the Huskers retook the lead with a pair of runs. Reveles started the inning with a walk and was soon at second following a balk by Bellair. Illinois went to J.D. Nielson, his third appearance of the series. The lefty struck out Ryan Boldt and then intentionally walked Placzek to setup a double play. Miller stepped in and delivered a RBI single, his third hit of the game. Illinois made another call to the pen, and Charlie Naso was welcomed by a RBI single from Schreiber. Jake Meyers followed with a single and the Huskers had the bases loaded with one out. Naso was able to escape the jam though with a 4-6-3 double play.

Pitching with an 8-6 lead, Chesnut sat the Illini down in order in the top of the seventh. He then struck out the first two batters of the eighth before Michael Hurwitz lined a single into left-center field. Luensmann came in and struck out Walton looking to keep the Huskers in front, 8-6.

The Huskers added an insurance run in the eighth off reliever Nick Blackburn. Schreiber picked up his fourth hit of the game with a double and then scored on a single by Meyers, giving Luensmann a 9-6 lead going to the ninth.

The Illini had a runner on first with one out when Pat McInerney lined a RBI double into left-center field and then Luensmann walked Jack Yalowitz to put the tying runs on base. It was the first walk given up by Husker pitching on the day. The freshman right hander responded with back-to-back strikeouts to polish off the win.

The Huskers will be back at Hawks Field on Tuesday night when they finish a five-game homestand with a 6:35 p.m. showdown against the Kansas State Wildcats. Nebraska will then be at Werner Park on Wednesday for a 6:30 p.m. meeting with the Omaha Mavericks before returning to Hawks Field next weekend for a three-game series against the Northwestern Wildcats.