Nebraska Baseball Defeats Iowa 4-0, Win Streak hits 5 games

The Nebraska baseball team (5-1, 5-1 Big Ten) shut out the Iowa Hawkeyes (2-4, 2-4 Big Ten) in a Saturday morning matchup. Bryce Matthews homered for the Huskers, while Chance Hroch and the bullpen shut out the Hawkeyes for their third shutout of the season.

With the early morning start, both teams had a hard time finding any offense in the beginning innings. Iowa starter Drew Irvine and Hroch both posted easy 1-2-3 first innings.

Nebraska and Iowa traded opportunities, with the Huskers stranding runners on second and third with only one out in the second inning. Iowa repaid the favor by stranding runners on the corners with only one out in the third inning. Hroch got a key strikeout to keep the Hawkeyes off the board.

Matthews got the Huskers on the board when he hit a solo homerun over the fence in right field. He took a pitch down and away and hit it the other way over the tall wall in right field to give the Huskers a 1-0 lead.

Hroch went back out for the sixth inning and put up a key scoreless inning to keep the momentum with the Huskers. After a pair of two out singles, Hroch got Matthew Sosa to swing and miss to send the Hawkeyes packing.

The Husker offense got to work in the sixth Max Anderson started a rally with a one out single to left. Efry Cervantes then reached on a fielding error when Irvine threw the ball into center on a swinging bunt. Jack Steil loaded the bases by fisting a single into center field. After a Luke Roskam strikeout, Iowa got Trace Hoffman out of the bullpen. He walked Matthews on four pitches and gave up a two run single to Joe Acker to push the Husker lead to 4-0.

Hroch was replaced by Sayer Diedrich for the seventh inning. Diedrich gave up a walk, but came back to get the next two hitters, before picking off Ben Norman to end the seventh.

After a scoreless bottom of the seventh, Nebraska gave Max Schreiber the eighth inning. He gave up a single to start the frame, but was able to get a 6-4-3 twin killing for the first two out of the inning. After another single, he got a strikeout to end the threat.

Cam Wynne came in looking to close the game out for the Huskers. He immediately had trouble finding the strikezone. He would issue three walks, while mananging to record a pair of outs.

With the tying run coming to the plate, Will Bolt went to Spencer Schwellenbach for the save. Schewellenbach fell behind 3-0 to 2020 Freshman All-American Payton Wiliams. He then fired three straight fastballs past Williams to get his first career save and move the Huskers record to 5-1.

Nebraska now is off for the rest of today, while Iowa and Ohio State play an afternoon game. The Huskers play both the Hawkeyes and the Buckeyes tomorrow morning in a Sunday doubleheader.

Jon Johnston