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Lincoln – The Nebraska baseball team improved to 6-1 in the Big Ten and 21-9 overall on the year with a 3-2 victory over the Northwestern Wildcats (7-23, 1-6 Big Ten) on Friday night at Hawks Field. The Wildcats took a 2-0 lead in the first inning, but then Husker pitching staff produced eighth scoreless frames and the offense scored a run in the first, second and fourth innings for the victory.
With losses in Nebraska’s last two Friday night homes games, sophomore Garett King snapped the streak and improved to 4-1 on the year. The Anaheim Hills, Calif., native went 6.0 innings and struck out a career high seven batters, including the last two batters he faced in the sixth.
Jeff Chesnut tossed a pair of scoreless frames behind King and struck out one Wildcat. In his 79th career appearance, Chesnut is now tied with Dylan Vogt for fourth all-time at Nebraska. Freshman Chad Luensmann took the hill in the ninth and closed out the game for his sixth save of the year.
The Wildcats scored two runs on three hits in the first inning and then notched just three hits the rest of the game.
Nebraska produced eight hits on the night, including two each from Ryan Boldt and Jake Meyers. Boldt record doubles in each of his first two at bats, his second career two double game, while Meyers hit his fifth triple of the season in the third.
The Wildcats had the tying run on in the ninth when Luensmann walked leadoff hitter Willie Bourbon and he was then in scoring position following a sacrifice bunt by Grant Peikert. Luensmann then got a 1-3 groundout off the bat of pinch hitter Jack Clayes, but pinch runner Ben Dickey moved to third on the play. With the tying run only 90 feet away, Luensmann fielded a ground off of leadoff hitter Jake Schieber and threw to first to seal the win.
The Wildcats took a 2-0 lead in the first on three hits, all singles. King retired the leadoff hitter, but then walked Jack Dunn and Zach Jones followed with a single. Matt Hopfner delivered an RBI single, giving the Wildcats a 1-0 lead. King then nearly got an inning-ending double play off the bat of Joe Hoscheit, but the junior left fielder beat out the turn to first and Jones scored. Connor Lind added another single before King struck out Bourbon to ended the inning.
Nebraska got a run back in the bottom of the frame, as Boldt led off with a double and scored on a RBI fielder’s choice off the bat of Meyers. After King put the Wildcats down in order in the second, the Huskers evened the score, 2-2. Steven Reveles started a rally with a two-out single, stole second and scored on Boldt’s second double of the night.
Northwestern loaded the bases with two outs in the third on two singles and a walk, but left the bases loaded when King struck out Bourbon swinging to keep the game tied, 2-2.
King put the Wildcats down in order in the top of the fourth and the Husker offense then took the lead thanks to a Northwestern error. Cole Klemke reached on a one-out single and moved to second on a balk. Reveles then reached on a fielding error by Dunn at shortstop. Boldt hit into a fielder’s choice that would have ended the inning without the error, but instead Jake Placzek got to bat and delivered a RBI single that put the Huskers on top, 3-2.
King issued a leadoff walk in the fifth, but stranded it at second. Northwestern then got its leadoff runner on in the sixth on an error by Luis Alvarado at third, but the bases were quickly empty when King struck out Bourbon for the third time and Jesse Wilkening cut down Lind stealing for a double play. King ended the frame by striking out Peikert, King’s seventh strikeout of the night.
Chesnut took over in the seventh and sat the Wildcats down in order. The senior right hander from Omaha then stranded a one-out single in the eighth, recording Nebraska’s seventh straight shutout frame. Northwestern had its leadoff man on base in the ninth, but was unable to score the tying run off Luensmann.
The Huskers and Wildcats continue their series tomorrow at Hawks Field, with first pitch set for 2:05 p.m. The game will be broadcast statewide on NET.