Huskers Hold Off Wildcat Rally, Notch 8-7 WinHuskers Hold Off Wildcat Rally, Notch 8-7 Win
Baseball

Huskers Hold Off Wildcat Rally, Notch 8-7 Win

Box Score

Lincoln – The Nebraska baseball team (22-9, 7-1 Big Ten) jumped out to an 8-2 lead against Northwestern (7-24, 1-7 Big Ten) after six innings and held off a late rally en route to an 8-7 win at Hawks Field on Saturday afternoon.

Sophomore pitcher Reece Eddins improved to 4-1 during three innings of work after starter Jake McSteen allowed two runs over four innings.

After McSteen stranded a pair of runners in the top of the first, Nebraska’s offense put two runs on the board in the bottom of the frame. Ryan Boldt led off with a single and was soon in scoring position with his 15th steal of the year. Boldt then moved to third on a passed ball and scored on a wild pitch that was ball four to Jake Placzek, his 35th walk of the year. Placzek moved to second on a wild pitch and stole third, he later scored on a RBI groundout by Jake Meyers.

The Wildcats had runners on the corner with one out in the second, but McSteen got out of the jam with a 6-4-3 double play off the bat of Ben Dickey. McSteen walked the leadoff batter for the second straight inning in the third and the Wildcats took advantage, as Matt Hopfner lifted a 2-2 offering into the left-field berm for a game-tying two-run homer. The Wildcats were unable to take the lead though, McSteen retired the next three batters in order.

Nebraska retook the lead in their half of the third on a two-out hit by Scott Schreiber. With Placzek on second, who walked earlier in the inning for his 11th multi-walk game of the year, Schreiber hit a tailing line drive to right field and Ben Dickey was unable to make the diving catch. Placzek scored to give Nebraska a 3-2 lead.

The Huskers extended the lead to 6-2 after the fourth inning. McSteen allowed a single by Willie Bourbon, who stole second and advanced to third on a single by Dickey. However, Jack Dunn flied out to left field to end a chance for the Wildcats to score. Elijah Dilday opened the bottom half of the inning with a triple before Taylor Fish was hit by a pitch. Northwestern put Joe Schindler in at pitcher, who gave up a walk to Jake Schleppenbach.

Steven Reveles and Boldt earned a double and single, respectively to bring in Dilday, Fish and Schleppenbach. Tyler Lass subbed in for Schindler and struck out Placzek and Miller before Schreiber flew out to third base.

Eddins came in for McSteen to start the fifth and allowed one hit. In the bottom of the fifth, Fish reached on an error, but Nebraska couldn’t convert.

Eddins struck out a pair of Wildcats in the top of the sixth before the Huskers added two runs to their lead. Reveles singled and scored a run after Boldt’s double knocked him in. Schreiber added to Nebraska’s run total with an RBI single to center field.

In the seventh inning, Northwestern’s Joe Hoscheit blasted a two-run homer, scoring Hopfner, to cut the Nebraska lead to 8-4. The Wildcats threatened to add runs when Connor Lind singled and Jack Claeys doubled to put runner on second and third. Eddins struck out Jake Schieber before Bourbon flied out to left field for the final out. The Wildcat defense responded in the bottom of the seventh when new pitcher Justin Yoss retired all three Huskers he faced.

Hoscheit homered again in the eighth, scoring Dunn and Hopfner, to cut the lead to 8-7. Jeff Chesnut subbed in for Derek Burkamper and struck out Claeys to close out the top half of the inning. Mack Rosman, pitching for Northwestern, retired Reveles, Boldt and Placzek.

In the top of the ninth, Chad Luensmann came in for Chesnut to close out the game and forced three groundouts.

The Huskers and Wildcats wrap up their weekend series tomorrow at Hawks Field, with first pitch set for 1:05 p.m.