Nebraska baseball blasts four home runs to take down No. 23 Maryland
The Nebraska baseball team (25-18-1) blasted four home runs against No. 23 Maryland (32-16) to take down the Terrapins 12-10. This win for the Huskers snaps Maryland’s nine-game win streak and sets up a rubber match on Sunday.
The Big Red jumped out to an early 5-0 lead in the first inning courtesy of Griffin Everitt’s grand slam. NU didn’t look back after that, hitting three more home runs and taking down a strong Maryland team.
“It takes basically everything you’ve got. It’s not easy and I’m exhausted, I know they’re exhausted.”
-Nebraska baseball head coach Will Bolt via the Huskers Radio Network
Game recap
Nebraska’s offense had their foot on the gas from the beginning of this game. Brice Matthews led off with a base hit, and Max Anderson put runners on the corners. With one out, the Huskers put a run on the board off a fielding error in the infield.
The Big Red kept the pressure on as they loaded the bases with just one out. Griffin Everitt stepped into the batters box and sent a ball over the wall in right-center field for a grand slam. This homer gave NU a 5-0 lead and the action continued.
Maryland bounced back in the bottom half of the first as Matt Shaw hit a two-run shot with no outs. However, Jace Kaminska worked his way out of the inning, striking out two batters to help retire the side.
The Terrapins put the pressure on in the second inning. A solo shot with one out was followed up by another solo homer with two outs and it was 5-4. However, the defense held it together and maintained the lead.
The third inning is when the offense went to work. Max Anderson led off the inning with a solo homer of his own. Gabe Swansen then followed it up with yet another solo home run to make it 7-4, Huskers. With a runner on first, Efry Cervantes continued the home run derby with a two-run shot to run the score up to 9-4.
The runs kept coming from both teams. Nick Lorusso hit a three run shot in the fifth and it felt like they were right back in the game.
Once again Nebraska’s offense was up to the task. NU matched Maryland’s three runs with three of their own in the top of the sixth. Two free passes and a sac fly made it 12-7.
The story of the day however, was that the Terrapins didn’t go down without a fight. In the bottom of the sixth it was Shay Schanaman on the mound. He struggled to keep control and UMD scored two runs on a wild pitch and a passed ball.
Schamanan continued through the ninth inning and allowed a run on a base hit in the game’s final inning, but retired the side and the Big Red came out on top.
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The bats started hot
Nebraska’s offense did exactly what it needed to do in order to win this game. Nine runs in the first three innings set them up for nothing other than success.
What was even more important was the five they put up in the top of the first inning. the Huskers set the tone in this game with a huge grand slam and five runs in the first. It allowed for them to stay relaxed when the Terrapins scored two in the bottom half of the first.
With that, the Huskers responded to every punch they took. After leading 5-0, Maryland brought the game back to 5-4. However, NU put up four runs in the following inning and led by five once again. Then it happened again in the fifth as UMD scored three runs, and the Big Red responded with three of their own.
Against a top team in the country like Maryland, it took some grit to win this game, and Nebraska’s offense showed that grit.
Big relief from Schanaman
Shay Schanaman came into this game in the fifth inning after Kaminska allowed a three-run homer. The righty reliever pitched five full innings, allowing just four hits and no earned runs.
Although the Terps scored three runs with Schanaman on the mound, two came in the sixth following an error with two outs. The other run was in the ninth following an error.
The righty’s performance goes even deeper than this game as well. In his last 27 innings pitched he has allowed just one earned run. Those innings stretch throughout 11 games and are varying lengths as well.
When NU needed a long reliever, Schanaman delivered in this game.
What’s next?
With the series tied 1-1, it sets up a Sunday rubber match that starts at 12:00 p.m. The game is live on B1G+ (LINK HERE) and on the Huskers Radio Network (LINK HERE).
