Mavericks clinch season series with 6-5 win
The Cornhuskers' late-inning comeback was not enough Tuesday night as Nebraska dropped the season series to Omaha by way of a 6-5 defeat.
It was a tough outing for Husker starter Caleb Clark. The freshman from Ontario, Canada, gave up four runs, three of them earned, in two innings of play.
The Mavericks got going in the first, plating one after a walk and a triple by right fielder Noah Griese. Omaha added one more in the second with a sacrifice fly, which was set up by a fielder's-choice error by shortstop Brice Matthews.
Clark’s night ended after he yielded a two-run home run in the third. He he was taken out in favor of sidewinder Corbin Hawkins.
Hawkins worked through two scoreless innings for the Big Red until two straight singles by Omaha and another sacrifice fly extended the Mavs' lead to five.
The Huskers' offense was nowhere to be found at the start of the game. NU compiled three hits and scored zero runs with five baserunners through the first four innings.
Nebraska got the bats going starting in the fifth. Matthews scored NU’s first run on a Casey Burnham double, cutting the deficit to 5-1.
NU kept its momentum going into the sixth as right-hander Drew Christo came into the game and made quick work of the Mavericks. In the bottom of the inning, Gabe Swansen belted a two-run home run to bring the Cornhuskers within two.
Shay Schanaman came in for Christo in the following inning and held down the fort for Nebraska, allowing one baserunner over the next two innings.
It seemed like the Nebraska comeback had stalled until a two-out home run by Garrett Anglim in the eighth brought the Huskers within one.
Schanman found himself in trouble with the bases loaded with two outs in the ninth, but NU manager Will Bolt kept him on the mound and allowed him to work out of the jam. Schnaman’s stellar pitching kept the Huskers within one heading into the bottom of the ninth.
Nebraska kept the late-game rally going in the ninth. The Big Red loaded the bases with one out after the Mavericks intentionally walked Max Anderson to face Charlie Fischer. Fischer stepped up to the plate and beat out a groundball for a fielder's-choice RBI, which scored Matthews.
As the game headed into the 10th inning, Bolt kept Schanman on the mound for NU. Schanaman once again found himself in a bases-loaded jam and could not work out of it as Omaha tallied the game-winning run on a sacrifice fly.
The Huskers couldn't match the Mavs in the bottom of the 10th, suffering a 6-5 loss.
Schanman finished with 4.0 innings pitched, three hits allowed and one earned run. Burnham had a stellar day from the plate, going 2-for-4 with two doubles and an RBI. Anglim also had a multi-hit game along with a home run.
It was the second loss in as many tries for the Big Red against the Mavs this season, with a third game set for later this month in Omaha. The Huskers' next game is at 6 p.m. Friday as they start a weekend series in Lincoln against the Northwestern Wildcats.
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