For the second time in as many weekends, Northwestern relied on clutch, late-game hitting to secure a game one victory versus a conference opponent.
Last weekend, Michigan State won back-to-back contests to storm back and win the series. The same story unfolded for the Wildcats (17-20, 8-10 Big Ten) against Nebraska this weekend, losing the final two games of the series to the Cornhuskers (19-21, 7-11 Big Ten). NU concluded its weekend in Lincoln, Nebraska, with a third straight conference series defeat.
In game one’s high-scoring affair, the ’Cats got on the board first. Senior outfielder Preston Knott hit a solo home run to right center to take a one-run lead in the top of the first inning.
After starting graduate student right-hander Sam Hliboki allowed consecutive solo shots in the bottom of the frame, sophomore outfielder Jackson Freeman and sophomore infielder Ryan Kucherak hit back-to-back home runs to secure a 4-2 lead.
Junior infielder Owen McElfatrick and Kucherak hit home runs in the third and fourth innings, respectively, to negate Nebraska’s responses and take a 7-4 lead.
Carried by the bat of Joshua Overbeek, the Cornhuskers powered their way back into the game. A two-run homer in the fourth inning and a solo shot in the eighth inning tied the score at seven heading into the final frame.
With a chance to put the game out of reach in the ninth inning, the ’Cats did what they do best. With two outs on the board and the bases loaded, senior catcher Bennett Markinson found a spark, hitting a single to right field, scoring two runs in the process.
In the bottom of the frame, Nebraska threatened the ’Cats lead with two doubles, but graduate student left-hander Crawford Wade struck out the final batter to take a 9-7 victory.
NU found trouble early in game two, as starting freshman right-hander Matthew Kouser allowed seven runs — off two home runs and a single — in the first two innings.
Kucherak singled to left-center in the fourth inning to score the first Wildcat runs of the day, but the Cornhuskers kept pumping out runs. The hosts scored six runs between the fifth and sixth innings to take a 14-4 lead heading into the seventh inning.
Nebraska’s Tucker Timmerman then worked a 1-2-3 inning to secure the run-rule victory.
Shortly after the Cornhuskers knotted the series at one game apiece, the two squads were back at it for the second game of the doubleheader and the series’ final contest.
The short break was not long enough for the ’Cats to figure out how to produce better offense.
Starting freshman left-hander Christian Forniss worked two scoreless innings before Nebraska got on the board in the third inning off a wild pitch. The Cornhuskers continued to pile it on, as they scored three runs between the fourth and fifth innings to take a four-run lead.
Kucherak continued his strong weekend in the seventh inning, hitting a double down the left field line to score junior infielder Trent Liolios, but Nebraska scored a run in the bottom of the frame to restore its four-run cushion.
Sophomore outfielder Griffin Mills hit the only home run of the game in the eighth inning, but it was not enough to overcome the deficit, as Nebraska took game three 5-2, thus winning the series.
NU will return to the diamond Tuesday when it hosts UIC.
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