Waldron Tosses Complete-Game Shutout in 6-0 Victory

Lincoln – For the first time since 2010 a Husker pitcher tossed a complete-game shutout, as freshman Matt Waldron went the distance in a 6-0 win over the Penn State Nittany Lions on Saturday afternoon at Hawks Field. The last complete-game shutout also came from a freshman arm, as Tom Lemke shutout Texas A&M, 1-0, on May 2, 2010.

In his first seven starts of the year Waldron had gone 6.2 innings twice and had gone 6.0 innings in each of his last two starts. The freshman limited the Nittany Lions to four hits and no walks on the afternoon, while striking out a career-high six. In the win he improved to 6-2 on the season, becoming just the fifth NU freshman since 2000 to record six wins in a year and the first since Johnny Dorn led the 2005 team with a 12-2 record.

It was an efficient 105-pitch outing for Waldron, as he tossed nine pitches or less in three different innings, including a six-pitch fifth innings and five-pitch eighth inning. After stranding a runner at third in the first, the Nittany Lions didn’t get another runner in scoring position until there were two outs in the ninth when Tyler Kendall lined a double down the right-field line.

Waldron put the Nittany Lions down in order five times on the day. The Omaha native faced more than four batters in an inning just once, as PSU sent five to the plate in the first. The fifth batter in the first only came to the plate because Waldron struck out leadoff hitter Nick Riotto, but he reached on a wild pitch. Following a one-out single in the sixth, Waldron retired 11 of the final 12 batters he faced.

Nebraska’s offense’s was just as efficient, scoring six runs on six hits. Ben Miller led the attacked with a 3-for-4 day at the plate with two runs scored and two RBIs. It’s his ninth three-hit game of the year and the 14th of his career. NU also got a pair of RBIs from Jake Schleppenbach.

Sal Biasi started for the Nittany Lions and limited the Huskers to four hits and one walk, but NU made of most of the four hits with three runs off the sophomore right hander. Biasi hadn’t lost in his last four starts, with the last loss coming against Michigan State on April 10.

After not scoring until the seventh inning of Friday night’s series opener, the Huskers plated a pair of runners in the bottom of the first on Saturday for a 2-0 lead. Biasi hit Jake Placzek with one out, Jake Meyers followed with his 11th double of the season and Miller drove in both his a single to left field.

Working with a 2-0 lead, Waldron went to work and kept PSU’s offense off balance. Waldron retired the Nittany Lions in order in the second, gave up a one-out single in the third and then retired nine straight before Jim Haley roped a one-out single to left in the sixth. Waldron came right back and sat down PSU’s No. 3 and 4 hitters in order.

Following Miller’s two-RBI single in the first, Biasi settled in and retired eight straight Huskers before Miller opened the bottom of the fourth with an 11-pitch at-bat the ended with a double to the left-center field gap. After Biasi struck out Scott Schreiber, freshman Jesse Wilkening came through with a RBI single that extended NU’s lead to 3-0.

Miller started the sixth with his third hit of the game and was at second following a two-out walk to Luis Alvarado. With Schleppenbach at the plate PSU reliever Tom Mullin uncorked a wild pitch that put two Huskers in scoring position and Schleppenbach took advantage with a two-RBI single into center field, giving the Huskers a 5-0 lead.

Waldron retired the Nittany Lions in order in the seventh and the Huskers added a run in the bottom of the frame without getting a hit. Ryan Boldt worked a leadoff walk and was quickly at third when he stole second and on the play PSU catcher Ryan Sloniger sailed the throw into center field, allowing Boldt to take third. Placzek made the error hurt when he lifted a fly ball into left field for a sacrifice fly, giving NU a 6-0 lead.

Waldron retired his seventh straight Nittany Lion in the eighth with a 1-2-3 inning and for the first time all season the Huskers sent their starting pitcher out for the ninth inning. Facing the heart of PSU’s lineup Waldron got two quick outs before Kendall’s two-out double, snapping a streak of 10 straight Nittany Lions retired. Two pitches later Waldron got a routine 4-3 groundout to complete the shutout.

The series rubber match is set for tomorrow at 11:35 a.m. The game was originally scheduled for 1:05 p.m., but due to Penn State’s travel the game time was moved up.