Columbus, Ohio - The Nebraska
baseball team (35-23, 14-10 Big Ten) saw its first conference tournament
appearance since 2008 come to an end on Friday afternoon at Huntington Park
with a 6-2 loss to the Ohio State Buckeyes. The Huskers out hit the Buckeyes,
9-8, but NU stranded 10 runners on the afternoon and committed three errors in
the field. Josh Scheffert, Kash Kalkowski and Rich Sanguinetti each had two
hits, while Kalkowski, Richard Stock and Cory Burleson each notched a double on
the day.
Nebraska
starter Dexter Spitsnogle cruised through the first inning by facing just three
Buckeyes, as Burleson caught Tim Wetzel stealing after he reached on a leadoff
walk. Spitsnogle was unable to make it through the second though, as OSU took a
2-0 lead on three hits. After Spitsnogle walked in the second run of the
inning, Head Coach Darin Erstad brought in Dylan Vogt, who promptly struck out
Ryan Cypret to end threat.
The
Huskers first scoring threat came in the top of the fourth when Kalkowski hit a
ground-rule double down the right-field line and moved to third when
Sanguinetti followed with an infield single. Kale Kiser was unable to add a third
straight two-out hit off OSU starter Brian King to drive in NU's first run.
Ohio
State struck again in the bottom of the fourth with a leadoff triple from Kirby
Pellant that was followed by a single from Greg Solomon to put OSU up 3-0. Vogt
came right back with a strikeout and a 4-6-3 double play to keep OSU from
adding anything else to its lead.
Nebraska
was in position to score again in the top of the fifth with runners on the
corners and one down following a pair of Buckeye errors, but King got Chad Christensen
to ground into an inning-ending 6-4-3 double play.
The
hits finally came at the right time for the Huskers in the top of the sixth, as
NU scored two runs on two hits to cut OSU's lead to one run, 3-2. Scheffert led
off with a walk and scored from first on Stock's 20th double of the season.
Stock then crossed the plate on a single up the middle by Kalkowski. NU's
threat quickly came to a halt when Sanguinetti popped up a bunt, Kiser lined
out on a rocket to the shortstop and Burleson struck out.
OSU
got one run back in the seventh on the Huskers' third error of the game. Wetzel
led off the inning with a single and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by
Cypret. Vogt then got a ground ball to Scheffert, but the NU third baseman
threw the ball short to Stock at first, allowing Wetzel to score and Brad Hallberg
to move to second. Freshman Aaron Bummer entered the game for NU and got the
Huskers out of the inning without any other damage done.
The
Huskers had the tying run on base in the top of the eighth following a leadoff
single from Scheffert and a two-out infield single from Sanguinetti, but once
again the OSU got an out when it needed it with a fly out by Kiser for the third
out.
The
Buckeyes added two insurance runs in the bottom of the eighth on two hits. David
Corna led off with a single and scored on Pellant's second triple of the game. OSU's
shortstop then scored on a sacrifice fly by Solomon.
Burleson
led off the ninth for the Huskers with a double into the left-center field gap
off closer Josh Dezse, but NU was unable to get anything else going, as Dezse
got consecutive fly outs and a strikeout to secure the win and eliminate the
Huskers from the 2012 Big Ten Tournament.
2012 Big Ten All-Tournament Team
Catcher: Kevin Plawecki (Purdue)
1B: Ryan Krill (Michigan State)
1B: Richard Stock (Nebraska)
2B: Micah Johnson (Indiana)
3B: Cameron Perkins (Purdue)
SS: Kirby Pellant (Ohio State)
SS: David Miller (Purdue)
OF: WIll Nolden (Indiana)
OF: ANthony Cheky (Michigan State)
OF: Barrett Serrato (Purdue)
DH: Michael Pritchard (Nebraska)
P: Jonny Hoffman (Indiana)
P: Tony Bucciferro (Michigan State)
P: Lance Breedlove (Purdue)
MOP: Kevin Plawecki (Purdue)
