Bats go cold as Nebraska baseball drops series opener to USC
Nebraska baseball (9-12, 1-6) dropped the series opener to USC (13-8, 3-4) on Friday, 3-5. The Huskers battled back from an early 4-0 deficit but went cold at the plate down the stretch.
Left-hander Will Walsh (3.42 ERA) gave Nebraska six strong innings in his second Friday start of the year. A crooked third inning made the difference, though, as Walsh allowed three runs with two outs. He finished with six strikeouts while scattering eight hits.
Caden Hunter started for the Trojans and pitched seven stellar frames. The left-hander struck out seven and allowed just five hits. He settled in after a three-run fourth inning to retire nine consecutive hitters.
Here is a recap of the loss:
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Crooked third inning too much to overcome
Walsh found himself in an early hole on Friday. After Ethan Hedges tripled to open the hitting, Adrian Lopez singled to give USC a 1-0 advantage in the first. Hedges and Lopez gave Nebraska troubles all night, combining for five total hits.
Walsh seemingly settled in after a slow start, retiring five straight hitters including back-to-back strikeouts to begin the third inning. But with two outs, Hedges stepped to the plate once again.
Hedges singled on a full-count pitch to spark a cascade of Trojan hits. Lopez hit a ground ball to second base, but Devin Nunez bobbled the exchange to put two runners on base. Kevin Takeuchi made Nebraska pay. He laced a 2-RBI double to left field just beyond a diving Cayden Brumbaugh.
Walsh gave up another RBI single on the following at-bat to give USC a 4-0 lead.
But instead of crumbling, Walsh bounced back with three strong frames. He only allowed two more hits before Drew Christo relieved him in the seventh inning. Nebraska’s offense, on the other hand, fell apart over that stretch.
Bats respond well in fourth frame
Trojan left-hander Caden Hunter retired six straight Husker batters to start the evening. Facing a four-run deficit, Nebraska responded with a big frame of its own.
Nunez and Brumbaugh both battled for full-count walks to begin the fourth inning. With two on, Tyler Stone skied a ball to center. Brayden Dowd misplayed it and fell down, allowing an RBI double to drop to the turf. Stone cashed in the mistake to put Nebraska on the board.
Dylan Carey continued his explosive week during the following at-bat. He pulled a 2-RBI double down the left-field line to bring Brumbaugh and Stone home. Carey advanced to third on a passed ball but was picked off shortly after.
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Carey’s lackadaisical base-running cost the Huskers at least one run. The bottom of Nebraska’s order tallied two more singles before Riley Silva grounded out to end the inning and strand two.
Trojan pitchers shut Huskers down late
After clawing back within one run, Nebraska went ice cold at the plate. The Huskers tallied just one hit over the final five innings. Their lone knock, an infield single by Nunez, produced nothing as he was caught stealing second.
Hunter retired nine straight batters before his night came to an end in the eighth inning. He threw 114 pitches but only improved as the game went on. The left-hander struck out two of the final three batters he faced, bringing his total to seven.
Left-hander Mason Edwards relieved Hunter and closed the door on Nebraska. He fanned three of the six batters he faced, including the heart of the Husker order. Outside of a fourth-inning explosion, Nebraska found nothing at the plate.
The Huskers finished the contest with five total hits, all from different batters. Even without veterans Cael Frost or Gabe Swansen in the order, Nebraska’s struggles against Big Ten pitching continued.
