Huskers Drop Game Two, 8-5, Rubber Match Tomorrow

Lincoln – The Nebraska baseball team (18-11-1, 3-1-1 Big Ten) was unable to overcome three errors on Saturday afternoon at Hawks Field, as the #24 Maryland Terrapins (20-9, 6-2 Big Ten) evened the weekend series with a 8-5 win, handing the Huskers their first conference loss of the season. The teams will battle for the series victory tomorrow, with first pitch scheduled for 12:05 p.m.

Neither of Nebraska’s first two errors proved costly, but the Terps took advantage in the seventh when a two-out error extended the inning and with the game tied 4-4 Maryland went on to score the go-ahead run. It then tagged on three more runs in the top of the ninth inning, all with two outs.

The Huskers had the tying run at the plate in the bottom of the ninth, but reliever Ryan Selmer secured his fourth save of the season with a game-ending 5-3 double play.

After both starting pitchers tossed at least 8.0 innings last night, neither starter made it through the fourth inning on Saturday. Maryland’s Taylor Bloom exited with one out in the second inning and allowed three runs on two hits and three walks, while Nebraska’s Derek Burkamper was pulled with no outs in the third and gave up three runs on four hits and two walks.

Maryland totaled 12 hits on Saturday after being held to four hits in the series opener. Brandon Gum and AJ Lee each had three hits, including a solo home run for Lee in the second.

Nebraska notched nine hits of the afternoon, but Ben Miller was the only Husker with a multi-hit performance. Miller went a season-best 4-for-4 at the plate with three singles and a double.

After not scoring until the top of the ninth in the series opener on Friday, the Terps scored one run in the top of the first on three hits. Maryland got singles from their first two hitters before Burkamper go a fly out, but then Gum plated the game’s first run with a RBI single. Burkamper then walked Will Waston, loading the bases with one out, but buckled down and limited the damage to one run with a 4-6-3 double play.

Bloom kept the Huskers off the board in the bottom of the first and then Maryland’s offense added to its lead in the second. Lee led off the top of the second and launched an 1-0 offering over the left-center field wall for a solo home run, his second home run of the season. Burkamper responded with three straight strikeouts.

Bloom cruised through the first, but then the wheels fell off in the second and he left the game after recording just one out. Miller worked a leadoff walk and Luis Alvarado was hit-by-pitch. Bloom then got an out at third on a fielder’s choice off the bat of Luke Roskam, but then walked Jake Schleppenbach to load the bases and walked Brady Childs to plate a run. Mojo Hagge stepped in and NU’s sixth hitter of the inning notched the loan hit of the frame, a RBI single. With the game tied, 2-2, Maryland went to reliever Ryan Hill, who got ahead 0-2 on Angelo Altavilla before hitting him, forcing in the third run of the inning. With the bases still full and one down, Hill dialed up consecutive strikeouts, but not before the Huskers took the lead with three runs on one hit, three walks and two hit-by-pitch.

Hill worked 4.2 innings on the day and allowed just one run on four hits and two walks, while striking out five. The junior right hander earned the win, improving his record to 3-0.

Working with the lead, Burkamper sat Maryland’s 2-3-4 hitter down in order in the third. The Huskers then had runners at second and third with one down following a double by Roskam, but Hill got a pop out and fly out to strand both runners.

Following the sharp top of the third, Burkamper hit Watson to start the fourth and then walked Nick Cieri. Nebraska went to reliever Matt Waldron, who walked Lee to load the bases. With Patrick Hisle at the plate the Terps tried a suicide squeeze, but Hisle was unable to make contact and Childs chased down Watson for the first out of the inning. Waldron then struck out Hisle and the Huskers were in position to get out of the jam. With No. 9 hitter Justin Morris due up, Maryland went to pinch-hitter Dan Maynard, who came through with a two-RBI single, putting the Terps back in front 4-3. Waldron struck out Zach Jancarski to end the top of the fourth, limiting the Terps to a pair of runs after they had the bases loaded with no outs.

Waldron worked around a leadoff single in the top of the fifth and then NU’s offense knotted the game at 4-4 with a run in the home half of the inning. Miller started the rally with a one-out double and Alvarado followed with a single to put runners on the corners. Roskam stepped in and tied the game with a RBI groundout. Maryland then intentionally walked Schleppenbach to face Childs and the move paid off, as Childs was retired 3-1 to end the inning.

Facing the top of Maryland’s lineup in the seventh, Waldron retired the first two batters and nearly had a 1-2-3 inning, but a fielding error by Altavilla at shortstop on a ground ball off the bat of Marty Costes allowed the inning to continue. Maryland took advantage of the error by notching consecutive singles, including a RBI single from Watson. Following the two hits, Nebraska went to Robbie Palkert and the sophomore retired Cieri to end the frame.

Nebraska got its leadoff man on in the seventh, but a line-out double play and a 4-3 groundout quickly cleared the bases. Neither team scored in the eighth and it went to the ninth with Maryland leading 5-4.

Maryland had a runner on first with two outs, when it got a single and a walk that loaded the bases. Cierri stepped in delivered a two-RBI single that gave Maryland a 7-4 cushion. Lee followed with a RBI double, but on the play Cierri was cut down at home 9-4-2.

Working with a four-run lead, Selmer gave up a leadoff single to Altavilla and then got a line out. He then hit Scrieber and Miller came through with a single, and on the play an error by Hisle allowed Altavilla to score. Alvarado stepped in as the tying run and on the first pitch he saw from Selmer he bounced into a 5-3 double play.

The series wraps up at 12:05 p.m. tomorrow. The game was originally scheduled for 1:05 p.m., but was moved up one hour to accommodate Maryland’s travel schedule.