Huskers Even Series with 3-1 Win

Columbus, Ohio – Nebraska used timely two-out hitting and a strong outing from senior Derek Burkamper to even the series with Ohio State with a 3-1 victory Saturday evening.

The Huskers (25-16-1, 8-5-1 Big Ten) scored all three of their runs in the top of the sixth and made it stand up, as Burkamper and three relievers allowed one run and scatted nine hits.

Burkamper, who picked up his first win since April 1, fanned four and scattered six hits over 5.2 scoreless innings to improve to 3-4 on the season. The right-hander worked around jams in each of the first two frames, and got stronger as the game progressed.

He retired 11 of 12 Buckeyes between the second and fifth innings, and his performance gave the Huskers an opportunity to stay in the game until the bats awoke to push across three runs in the top of the sixth against OSU starter Jake Post, who matched Burkamper through the first five frames.

Post, who had worked out of trouble in the third, had retired nine straight until the Huskers put together a two-out rally in the top of the sixth. Consecutive singles by Scott Schreiber and Ben Miller got the rally started before Luke Roskam, who had struck out looking on each of his first two at-bats, coaxed a walk to load the bases and keep the rally alive. The Huskers would capitalize, as Post uncorked a wild pitch, allowed Schreiber to beat the tag at the plate for the first run of the day. Two pitches later, Luis Alvarado staked the Huskers a three-run lead, as he ripped a bases-clearing double that one-hopped the wall in left center.

OSU had its best opportunity against the Husker starter in the bottom of the sixth. Dominic Canzone opened the frame with a single before moving to third on Jacob Barnwell's two-out single. NU went to its bullpen, and Jack McSteen induced an inning-ending grounder to short off the bat of Conner Pohl to end the rally.

The Buckeyes broke the shutout bid in the seventh, getting an RBI single from Jalen Washington to pull within 3-1. A leadoff single by Shea Murray, a walk to pinch hitter Zach Ratliff and a sacrifice bunt put runners at second and third with one out. Washington greeted reliever Robbie Palkert with a single just beyond the outstretched arm of Angelo Altavilla at shortstop, but Palkert got the Huskers out of the jam by retiring Canzone and Brady Cherry – the third and fourth hitters in the OSU lineup. The sophomore pitched a perfect eighth as part of a solid 1.2 inning effort for NU before Chad Luensmann closed out the contest, working a scoreless ninth to collect his seventh save of the season.

The rubber match of the series takes place Sunday morning at 11:05 a.m. (central), as the matchup will be on the IMG Husker Sports Network and available on Buckeye Vision (subscription required).