Nebraska Baseball Splits Saturday Doubleheader Against UC-Riverside

The Nebraska Huskers baseball team 2-1 (0-0 Big Ten) split a Saturday afternoon twinbill with the University of California-Riverside Highlanders. The Huskers dropped the first contest in a 10-9 thriller, before taking the nightcap 10-6.

In the first contest, Reece Eddins was knocked around in the first inning against the Highlanders. Riverside platted four runs, before Eddins was able to settle in and get through the inning.

After falling behind, the Huskers got on the board in the second inning when Luke Roskam scored. Roskam reached on a walk and came around when the Huskers got hits from Mike Addante and Alex Henwood.

Eddins day would finish in the fourth, when Riverside scored three more runs. The Highlanders strung together three straight singles and a Husker error allowed the Highlander lead to swell to 7-1.

Nebraska would fight back cutting the deficit to 7-4 with a pair of runs in the fifth and one in the sixth. Angelo Altavilla singled and scored when Roskam doubled to start the fifth. Cam Chick knocked in Roskam with a base hit back up the middle to cut the deficit to 7-3.

Addante reached in the sixth when he was hit by a pitch. He scored when Henwood doubled. Spencer Schwellenbach singled to bring up the tying run, but the next three Huskers went down in order.

After Riverside added an insurance run, Nebraska got another pair in the seventh. Chick walked, went to second on a passed ball, and scored when Jaxon Hallmark singled. Hallmark then stole second, and scored on two consecutive passed balls.

After Mike Waldron shut down the Highlanders in the home half of the seventh, the Huskers had a chance to tie the game in the eighth. Mojo Hagge walked to start the inning. Aaron Palensky doubled to put a pair in scoring position. After Roskam struck out, Chick singled and Palensky stopped at third base. Hallmark then grounded into a double play to kill the rally.

With a 8-7 lead, Riverside scored a pair in the ninth. The Highlanders got their 10th run when the Waldron struck out the final batter, but threw a wild pitch to allow the last run to score.

Down to their final three outs, Nebraska scored a pair of runs to bring the go ahead run to the plate. Henwood started the rally with a one out walk. Three straight singles from Schwellenbach, Altavilla, and Hagge brought the tying run to third. Palensky popped up on the infield, before Chick grounded out to end the game.

In the night cap, it was more of a pitching show. Nate Fisher picked up the win, as he did not allow a run in his five innings of work. Fisher was matched by Highlanders Shamus Lyons.

The Huskers struck first in the fifth. Chick singled, moved to second on a walk from Hallmark, and scored on a Carter Cross single.

Nebraska moved the lead to 4-0 with a three run sixth. Palenksky walked, stole second and scored on a Roskam double. Hallmark and Cross contributed run scoring hits in the rally as well.

After Riverside trimmed the lead to 4-1, Nebraska got the run right back. Schwellenbach walked, moved to third on a single from Gunner Hellstrom and scored on a fielder’s choice from Palensky.

Paul Tillotson ran into trouble in the seventh when he loaded the bases. He gave up a single, a walk, and hit a batter while managing to just get one out. Ted Silva brought in freshman Kyle Perry and he threw seven straight balls to close to gap to 5-2. Perry then battled to get a strikeout for the second out, before he hit the second batter of the inning. Silva saw enough and got Shay Schanaman to strikeout a Highlander to strand the bases loaded.

Nebraska tacked on five runs in the last two innings. Hallmark got a run scoring hit in both the eighth and the ninth.

With a 10-3 lead, Robbie Palkert gave up a home run to start the home half of the ninth. A pair of errors, a walk, and a single made the Husker lead dwindle to 10-6. Hallmark closed out the game with a lazy fly ball to right, to secure the victory for the Huskers.

Nebraska and Riverside finish out their four game series tomorrow afternoon with first pitch set for 3:00 p.m. Colby Gomes is scheduled to start for the Huskers.