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Late rally comes up short as Nebraska baseball drops weekend finale to Kansas State

Joseph Maierby:Joseph Maier•about 19 hours•

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Nebraska baseball vs. LSU
Photo Credit: Nebraska athletics

Nebraska baseball (4-6) fell to Kansas State 6-9 on Sunday, finishing the Frisco Classic 1-2. The Huskers made it interesting late, but struggled to find any offensive rhythm in the middle innings and squandered the few opportunities they had.

The Wildcats teed off on starting pitcher Jackson Brockett early. The left-hander totaled 48 pitches in just two innings of work, allowing two runs on three hits before being pulled. Nebraska’s relievers fared no better, as Kansas State finished the day with nine runs on 10 hits.

LHP Lincoln Sheffield had a stellar day for the Wildcats. He pitched 6.1 frames including a dominant stretch where he retired nine of 10 batters. Nebraska’s bats were ice-cold until the seventh inning, but it was too little, too late.

Here is a recap of the loss:

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Wildcats frustrate Brockett early

Maximus Martin hit a leadoff double in the top of the first inning, an ominous sign of things to come. Two batters later, Seth Dardar smacked one of his own to bring Martin home and give Kansas State an early 1-0 lead. Martin and Dardar dominated at the plate, combining for six hits and four RBIs on the day.

In the top of the second, Brockett walked two batters before Martin continued his hot start with an RBI single to center. Multiple lengthy at-bats resulted in 48 pitches for Brockett through two frames and an early end to his first start of the season.

Bullpen spots Kansas State massive lead

Right-hander TJ Coats relieved Brockett in the third, bouncing back with a quick 1-2-3 inning. However, the bullpen fell apart over the next three frames. Much like in Saturday’s loss to LSU, it was one massive inning that proved to be the difference. The Wildcats went through their entire batting order in the fourth.

After a leadoff double, back-to-back home runs swung all momentum in Kansas State’s favor. Lincoln native AJ Evasco hit a 2-run bomb before Keegan O’Connor crushed a ball 480 feet to left center. Coats walked three straight batters to load the bases, but RHP Drew Christo got Nebraska out of a jam with two clutch strikeouts.

Christo walked the leadoff batter in the fifth inning, who eventually reached third base thanks to a wild pitch and a groundout. With two outs and down 0-2 in the count, Kyan Lodice slapped an RBI single to right to extend Kansas State’s lead to 6-1.

Christo gave up two more runs in the sixth, including another RBI double from Dardar. The Huskers trailed 8-1 entering the seventh inning.

Late rally comes up short

Nebraska had a great chance to come back from down seven runs, but a poor start at the plate ultimately doomed it on Sunday. The Huskers tallied two hits on Sheffield in the first inning, but their bats went ice-cold thereafter.

From the second to the sixth innings, Sheffield retired all but two hitters. Even Nebraska’s lone run came on a wild pitch.

Dylan Carey did all he could to spark the Huskers late. After failing to record a hit in the first two games of the weekend, the shortstop hit a solo bomb to lead off the seventh inning. Will Jesske kept the momentum rolling on a pinch-hit opportunity. He doubled down the left field line to put runners on second and third with only one out. The Huskers squandered the opportunity, though, as Joshua Overbeek and Devin Nunez struck out to end the frame.

With Sheffield off the mound in the eighth inning, Carey stepped to the plate with two runners on base. He doubled to bring home one before Hayden Lewis hit an RBI groundout to shrink the deficit to 4-9.

Down to their final three outs in the ninth, Nunez hit a ball deep to left center. Kansas State, thinking the blast left the park, didn’t play it and the talented freshman scored a 2-run inside-the-park home run. Three runs was as close as Nebraska would get, though, as they fell to 4-6 on the year with a 6-9 loss to Kansas State.

Outside of Carey and Nunez, the Huskers’ starting lineup mustered just two hits and no RBI.

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