Anglim Powers Nebraska Baseball to Series Opening 13-9 Win over Michigan

If you thought “here we go again” during the Nebraska-Michigan game either in the 1st inning or the 5th, you wouldn’t be blamed. Husker starting pitcher Koty Frank gave up a run to start the game, but came back to strand a couple runners, keeping Michigan from the big inning that has plagued Nebraska recently. The Huskers answered right back with an Anglim 2 RBI double in the bottom of the 1st.

The teams exchanged runs over the next two innings to make it 3-2 Huskers. And Frank continued to deal through the early part of the game. He ended up pitching 5 innings, striking out 9, while giving up 10 hits, but didn’t hand out any free passes via walks or hit by pitches, the biggest bugaboo of Husker pitchers this year. Where Frank and the Huskers ran in to trouble, was in the top of the 5th.

As Frank was nearing the end of his night, he got two quick outs, but then gave up a Big Ten record 4 straight solo home runs to put the score at 6-3. I spose you could say they have the record for most home runs in a row in a losing effort too. Michigan became only the 2nd team in NCAA history to lose after such a feat.

You could understand how the Huskers may have been crushed following that sequence of events. They needed to come out and get a run back, just to keep themselves in the game. They did just that as a Max Anderson single brought home Brice Matthews. But they weren’t done just yet! A few batters later Nebraska loaded the bases, and Garrett Anglim stepped back up to the plate and crushed a bases clearing double to give him 6 RBIs on the game to take the lead back at 8-6.

Nebraska would capitalize on a number of walks, hit batters, and errors to score 5 more runs and make it 13-6 after 6 innings. Michigan pitchers in all contributed 11 total walks, 4 hit batters, and committed an error on a pickoff attempt that allowed a run as well. The Wolverines would score 3 more runs in the last 2 innings, including another home run and 2 doubles in the 9th to get the game to its final score of 13-9.

It was a game reminiscent of the past few years for Nebraska. Defense was on point. Pitching was battling and not being the reason for a let down, surrendering only 2 walks to the dangerous Wolverine lineup.

The Husker hitters continually answered any time Michigan scored runs. In fact after tinkering with the lineup trying to find the right combination constantly over the past month, it seemed Coach Will Bolt decided to go back to where they started and put the experienced guys back at their normal positions both in the lineup and on the field, just as if they were coming out of pre-season practices, and starting the season over again.

You can catch the Huskers and Wolverines back at it on Saturday at 2:02 pm at Haymarket Park. It will be broadcast on Nebraska Public Media as well.