Bloomington, Ind. - After taking the
series opener on Saturday 13-2, the Nebraska baseball team (29-18, 9-9) dropped
a double header to the Indiana Hoosiers on Sunday afternoon at Sembower Field
to lose the three-game series. The Huskers totaled six runs on 11 hits in the
series finale, but the IU batters were even tougher on NU's pitching with nine
runs on 16 hits.
Senior
catcher Cory Burleson led the Huskers with a career-high tying four RBI's on
two hits, while Josh Scheffert and Austin Darby also had two hits each.
Sophomore
Michael Pritchard increased his hitting streak to 24 games with a one-out single
in the top of the third. The hit moved Pritchard one game ahead of Curtis
Ledbetter (2003 - 23), as Pritchard now has the fourth longest streak in NU
history since 1958 and is one game behind Derek Dukart's 25-game streak from
1994.
Rich
Sanguinetti scored the first run of the game in the top of the first on Richard
Stock's team-leading third triple of the year with two outs after reaching on a
double. IU responded with two runs in the bottom of the frame on three straight
one-out singles, before Dillon Dooney flied out and Micah Johnson was caught
trying to steal home.
The
Hoosiers then knocked NU starter Zach Hirsch out of the game in the second
after the lefty gave up four runs on four straight two-out hits, including two
triples and a double. Dylan Vogt came into the game and retired Michael Basil
to put an end to the damage with IU up 6-1.
After
Vogt faced just three Hoosiers in the bottom of the third, as Burleson threw
out Dooney at second on a steal attempt after he led off the inning with a
single, the Huskers plated three runs in the top of the fourth on four hits to
cut IU's lead to 6-4. NU produced three straight one-out singles to load the
bases for Pat Kelly, who drove in a run with a sacrifice fly. Burleson followed
with his first hit of the series, as he drove in two with a double into the
left-center field gap.
Indiana
got two of the runs back in the bottom of the fourth on a two-out double by
Basil after Vogt loaded the bases with a pair of walks. Vogt struck out Dooney
to end the inning, but IU was back up four, 8-4.
The
Huskers had their 3-4-5 hitters up in the fifth, but IU starter Chad Martin
retired NU in order after giving up at least one hit in each of the first four
innings. The NU bats got going in the sixth with two runs on two hits,
including a two-RBI single by Burleson.
Freshman
Aaron Bummer took the mound in the bottom of the sixth for NU and retired IU's
2-3-4 hitters in order, including a strikeout to end the inning. Bummer then
got the first two Hoosiers in the seventh before giving up a pair of two-out
singles that pushed IU's lead to three at 9-6.
Nebraska
has the tying run at the plate in the eight with two outs, but couldn't get
anything going. NU then went down in order in the ninth to end the weekend.
The
Huskers will wrap up their three-game season series with the Creighton Bluejays
at TD Ameritrade Park on Tuesday night at 7 p.m. NU has won the first two
meetings of the season and the game will be shown across the state on NET. The
Huskers get back to conference action next weekend when they host Minnesota at
Hawks Field.
