Huskers Win 7-4, Take Series From No. 24 Spartans

* Jeff Chesnut set a school record on Monday with his 88th career appearance, topping Steve Hale’s mark of 87 appearances from 1999 to 2003.

East Lansing, Mich. – The Nebraska baseball team (30-17, 11-7 Big Ten) took the rubber match against the No. 24 Michigan State Spartans (31-13, 11-7) on Monday by a score of 7-4 at McLane Stadium to secure its fifth Big Ten series victory of the season.

The Huskers are now 5-1 against the Spartans in East Lansing since joining the Big Ten and today’s win is NU’s fourth over a top-25 team this season.

With two weekends of Big Ten play left, the Huskers and Spartans are tied for fourth in the league, but NU now owns the head-to-head tie breaker. Nebraska hosts Penn State (10-8) next weekend at Hawks Field before Big Ten leader Indiana (13-5) comes to Lincoln the final week of the regular season. Nebraska is just 2.0 games out of first with six games to play.

Nebraska got another strong outing from sophomore Jake Meyers, who went a career-high 8.0 innings, topping his 7.0-inning performance last weekend at Rutgers. The lefty from Omaha allowed three runs on seven hits and no walks, while matching a career high with four strikeouts. Meyers has now won his last three starts and is 4-1 on the year.

Meyers helped his own cause by going 3-for-4 at the plate with a double and three runs scored. Ben Miller also notched three hits, including a double, and scored three runs, while Taylor Fish went 2-for-3. Nebraska’s 3-4-5 hitters when 8-for-11 on the day with six runs scored and two RBIs.

MSU starter Cam Vieaux entered the weekend leading the Big Ten and ranked 25th in the nation with a 1.69 ERA, but didn’t make it through the fifth inning after allowing a career-high tying six runs (five earned) on seven hits over 4.1 innings. The last time Vieaux allowed six runs in a game was last season at Ohio State on March 21.

Trailing 7-3 entering the bottom of the ninth, the Spartans kept fighting. With Jeff Chesnut on the mound MSU got a leadoff hit and a hit-by-pitch to put the tying run in the on-deck circle. Nebraska went to closer Chad Luensmann and the freshman shut the door for his second save of the weekend and 11th of the season. Luensmann got three straight ground outs, with one run scoring, to secure the 7-4 win. Luensmann is now tied with Thom Ott for fifth place on NU’s single-season saves list.

Just like the first two games of the series, the Huskers scored the game’s first run. After going down in order in the first, Nebraska got consecutive single from Miller and Fish to start the second. Vieaux got a pop up off the bat of Luis Alvarado before Jake Placzek picked up his 28th RBI of the year on his 13th double of the season. With two in scoring position and the Huskers threating to score more Vieaux ended the frame with back-to-back strikeouts.

The Huskers pushed their lead to 3-0 in the third on a pair of two out hits and an error. Meyers got the rally going when he beat out an infield single and then scored from first on Miller’s 13th double of the season. Fish then hit an easy ground ball to first, but Vieaux was unable to handle first baseman Jordan Zimmerman’s underhand toss and Miller scored from second base on the two-out error.

Without a hit off through the first two innings, the Spartans got consecutive singles to start the bottom of the third. Meyers notched a strikeout and then nearly got an inning-ending double play ball off the bat of Brandon Hughes, but the ground ball was hit softly enough that the Huskers couldn’t turn the twin killing and a run came into score. Meyers struck out Zimmerman to end the frame, with the Huskers ahead 3-1.

NU’s offense went to work in the fifth and knocked Vieaux out of the game. Hitting in the leadoff spot for the first time this season, Steven Reveles started the frame with a bunt single, moved to second on a ground out and stole third. Meyers stepped in an helped his own cause with a RBI double. Vieaux then hit Miller and MSU went to sophomore reliever Jake Lowery. Fish welcomed with the right hander with single, loading the bases with one out. Alvarado stepped to the plate 1-for-11 on the weekend and the sophomore left fielder delivered a RBI single. With the bases still loaded Placzek hit a slow grounder to second and the Spartans couldn’t turn the inning-ending double play, instead Placzek picked up his second RBI of the game and the Huskers took a 6-1 lead.

The Spartans got their leadoff man on in both the fourth and fifth, but both times Meyers stranded a leadoff single. In the sixth MSU nearly cut into Nebraska’s 6-1 lead when Matt Byars lifted a two-out offering from Meyers into left-center field, but Alvarado ended the frame with a running catch at the wall.

Nebraska pushed its lead to 7-1 in the seventh. Meyers worked a leadoff walk and was soon in scoring position following Miller’s third hit of the game. Fish then executed a sac bunt that immediately paid off when Lowery delivered a wild pitch that scored Meyers.

Meyers put the Spartans down in order in the seventh on just seven pitches and nearly hung another zero in the eighth, but Zimmerman lined a 1-2 offering over the left-field wall for a two-run home run with two down. Meyers went right back to work and got a pop out to end the frame, Nebraska leading 7-3.

MSU tried to rally in the ninth, but only got one run and lost the series.

The Huskers now return to Lincoln, where they will host the Omaha Mavericks on Wednesday at 6:35 p.m. The game will be carried statewide on NET and streamed live on BTN2Go.