Huskers Fall to No. 8 Beavers, 5-2

Surprise, Ariz. – For the second time in three days the Nebraska baseball team (1-4, 0-0 Big Ten) was unable to upset the No. 8 Oregon State Beavers (6-1, 0-0 Pac-12) at Surprise Stadium. The Beavers held on for a 5-2 win on Saturday night after posting a 10-1 win on Thursday afternoon.

Nebraska was only outhit by one on the day, 10-9, but were get its hits early in innings. The Huskers were in search of two-out hits all game and left 10 men on base.

Sophomores Angelo Altavilla and Jesse Wilkening, and junior Scott Schreiber all had a pair of hits, including a double from Wilkening. Mojo Hagge and Brison Cronenbold also notched doubles.

In his first pitching start of the season junior Jake Meyers went 3.1 innings, allowing four runs on six hits and one walk. Sophomore Sam Tweedt started for the Beavers and went 5.0 innings in his second win of the year. The right hander allowed a pair of runs on seven hits and no walks, while striking out four.

The Beavers took an early 2-0 in the bottom of the first on a two-out home run by KJ Harrison. Nick Madrigal started the frame with a single before Meyers got a pop out and his first strikeout of the of the year. Harrison then stepped in and hit a high fly ball off an 1-0 offering that just carried over the left-field wall.

Oregon State added two more runs in the second on two hits, growing its lead to 4-0. The bottom of the Beaver lineup loaded the bases with one out, Meyers then forced in a run when he hit Madrigal and Christian Donahue picked up a RBI with a sacrifice fly.

The Huskers had a runner in scoring position in the second, third, fourth and fifth innings, but each time it came with two outs, and all four times Tweedt was able to get out of the inning without any damage done.

Nebraska was able to create early pressure in the sixth and cut OSU’s lead in half, 4-2. Schreiber and Luis Alvarado started the frame with back-to-back singles and reliever Jake Mulholland took over for Tweedt. Altavilla welcomed Mulholland with a RBI single, before Mulholland bounced back to get consecutive outs. With two on and two down, Cronenbold came through with his first hit as a Husker, a RBI double. Meyers kept the rally going with a walk that loaded the bases and Hagge lined an 1-1 offering from Mulholland, but it was right at Donahue in left field to end the frame.

After being held scoreless since the second inning the Beavers tacked on an insurance run in the eighth. Trevor Larnach led off with a single and later scored on a two-out single by Michael Gretler, giving OSU a 5-3 lead.

Max Engelbrekt shut the door in the ninth to earn his third save of the year by striking out the side.

The Huskers wrap up the weekend tomorrow afternoon with a rematch against Utah, who beat the Huskers 7-5 on Friday night. Due to a Spring Training game between the Royals and Rangers, the Huskers will play on a practice field near Surprise Stadium. The game will be on Kansas City Field 6, which is northwest of Surprise Stadium, and can be accessed via the parking lot on the north side of Surprise Stadium.