Huskers Grind Out 5-3 Win in Series Opener at Ohio State
Huskers.com
Nebraska scored in the first and never gave up the lead, as the Huskers held on for a 5-3 win in the series opener at Ohio State on Friday night.
Nebraska (10-14, 2-2 Big Ten) scored five runs on eight hits and had one error, while the Buckeyes (8-14, 0-2 Big Ten) totaled three runs on nine hits and committed six errors.
Shay Schanaman improved to 2-3 on the season after allowing one run on six hits and striking out eight in 6.1 innings.
Emmett Olson tossed the next 2.1 innings, surrendering two runs on three hits with three strikeouts.
Braxton Bragg picked up his second save of the season after recording the final out.
Griffin Everitt had a team-high two hits after going 2-for-5 with a single and a double.
Cam Chick went 1-for-4 with a solo homer and team-high two RBI. Five other Huskers recorded one hit each in the series opener.
The Huskers jumped ahead 1-0 in the open inning with Chick's solo blast to right center, his third homer of the season.
Luke Sartori began the second with a single and
Jack Steil reached on a fielding error, before a ground ball by
Max Anderson skipped past the Buckeye third baseman for an error to keep the second inning alive for the Huskers and allow Sartori to score Nebraska's second run of the game.
Two more errors by the Buckeyes put runners on first and third with one out in the fifth for Nebraska, but a failed stolen base attempt and a strikeout kept the lead at two.
Schanaman struck out the first two Buckeyes in the bottom of the sixth until a walk and a stolen base put a runner on second with two outs. Schanaman picked up his third strikeout of the inning to keep Ohio State scoreless through six.
Ohio State trimmed the Nebraska lead in half with a one-out solo homer by Blayne Robinson to right center in the bottom of the seventh. Mitchell Okuley followed with a single through the right side and later advanced on a two-base throwing error on a failed pickoff attempt that sailed into right field to put the tying run on third with one out. Schanaman's third walk of the game put runners on first and third, before Olson came in and got a pop out and a strikeout to keep it a 2-1 game through seven.
Nebraska answered with a run on two hits in the top of the eighth to stretch the lead back to two.
Garrett Anglim reached on a fielder's choice and
Efry Cervantes was hit by the pitch to place runners on first and second with one out.
Leighton Banjoff followed by lacing an 0-1 pitch up the middle for an RBI single, plating Anglim.
Brice Matthews extended his on-base streak to 18 games with a leadoff single up the middle in the ninth, while Chick drew a walk to put two runners on with no outs in the ninth. Anglim reached on a fielder's choice with one out to bring home Chick, while Anderson also scored on the play after a wild throw by the Buckeyes on an attempt to turn a double play, stretching the lead to 5-1.
Back-to-back doubles brought Ohio State within 5-2 with no outs in the ninth. The Buckeyes cut the deficit to two after an RBI single down the left field line with two outs before Bragg took the mound and induced a groundout to clinch the series-opening victory.
Nebraska and Ohio State continue the weekend series tomorrow at 2:05 p.m. CT at Bill Davis Stadium in Columbus, Ohio. Saturday's game will be broadcast live on B1G+, while fans can also listen to
Greg Sharpe and Ben McLaughlin call the action on the Huskers Radio Network.
