Game 1 of the first ranked on ranked series Nebraska has played in over a decade lived up to the billing and then some. Both heavyweights landed punch after punch and just when it seemed one was down for the count, they stormed right back. The team has to be happy with how they continued to respond to the adversity, but has a few opportunities to look back on and think they could improve upon. If we are going to get two more battles like this to decide the weekend, sign me up!
Big Ten hits leader,
and former Duck, Mac Moyer got the Husker offense started by smacking a double into the right center gap. Freshman catcher Jeter Worthley shot a grounder behind Moyer to the 2nd baseman, moving the runner to third base. After a Case Sanderson strikeout, Dylan Carey singled through the left side of the Oregon infield, added to his Big Ten leading RBI total, and giving the Huskers the early 1-0 lead.
Nebraska kept the pressure on Oregon starter Will Sanford in the 2nd and 3rd innings, but couldn’t add to their lead. Josh Overbeek singled, and Drew Grego walked to lead off the 2nd. But a groundout and back to back strikeouts ended that threat. Sanderson was hit by a pitch to lead off the 3rd, followed by another Carey single. But a double play followed by a strikeout again kept them off the board. They did however pile up the pitches on Sanford.
Ty Horn again climbed the bump for Nebraska on a Friday night. After 3 flyouts in the 1st, Horn backed himself into a corner in the 2nd. He walked the first two Ducks, then after a strikeout, threw a wild pitch to the backstop. Another big strikeout, and a weak grounder to Sanderson at first kept NU on top.
Oregon had been barreling up pitches from Horn, but hadn’t been able to avoid Husker defenders. That was until the 4th inning. Oregon 3rd baseman Drew Smith sent a full count slider from Horn into center field at 105 mph for a single. After an infield pop up, a 106 mph ball was hit right to Jett Buck for the 2nd out. Horn was visibly uncomfortable, but remained on the mound. After another single, a 111 mph double off the bat of Naulivou Lauaki put the Ducks up 2-1. Horn walked another batter and then had an odd balk to move the runners over, but was able to get out of the inning with no more damage.
Sanford meanwhile had hit his stride. He struck out 4 straight Huskers including striking out the side in the 4th. However, his first pitch of the 5th was taken deep and gone to the opposite field by Moyer. Mac was red hot in his return to PK Park. Unfazed, Sanford struck out the next two Huskers, and got Carey to fly out to end the inning with the score tied 2-2.
Tucker Timmerman relieved Horn to start the bottom of the 5th. His first pitch was pulled through the left side of the Husker infield, and two batters later, Drew Smith launched a 2 run home run that just barely missed the scoreboard over the left field wall. Timmerman hit the next batter, and gave up a double down the right field line. For some reason, the lead runner stopped momentarily at 2nd base, and therefore wasn’t able to score. That would come back to bite the Ducks at the time, as the next batter lifted a ball to left that Jettt Buck caught in foul territory and uncorked a perfect throw to Worthley who had plenty of time to snag it and tag the runner out at the plate to end the inning.
The game entered a 1 hour and 42 minute weather delay in the bottom of the 6th, ending the game for both pitchers. Braxton Stewart took the mound for Nebraska and he almost exclusively throws a slider, but it just wasn’t biting tonight. A double down the right field line was followed by back to back no doubter home runs on high hanging sliders. Both cleared the Husker bullpen on the other side of the left field wall. Just like that, the Ducks were up 7-2 and had all the momentum.
Oregon went to the bullpen and pulled out one of the best in the conference in Tanner Bradley. He made quick work of the Huskers in the 7th striking out 2.
Inexplicably, the Ducks put in one of their lesser used arms in Blake Crawford for the 8th. He has good stuff, but is incredibly wild. He really showed that by sending ball 4 to the backstop on the Huskers first batter, Case Sanderson. After a lengthy mound visit, Carey must have had a good feeling nothing but a fastball was coming and unloaded on Crawford’s first offering. An unknown NU reliever caught it on the fly in the bullpen, and Nebraska had cut the lead to 7-4.
Nebraska wasn’t done there. Oregon went with another wild reliever in Leo Uelman. He could barely keep the ball inside the batters boxes. He struck out Cole Kitchens on a slider, but it was so wide of the plate that Kitchens made it to first on the wild pitch. Preston Freeman came in to run for Kitchens and took 2nd on another wild pitch. Jett Buck somehow avoided being hit by two balls that were in his batters box and hit an RBI double to make it a 7-5 game.
The inning continued as Josh Overbeek was plunked and then year another wild pitch advanced both runners to 2nd and 3rd. Rhett Stokes hit an RBI groundout to short that cut the lead to 7-6 and put Overbeek on 3rd with 2 outs. The Ducks intentionally walked Mac Moyer, who slammed the bat down in frustration. In the middle of the Worthley at bat, Moyer broke for 2nd, drawing a throw from the catcher. Moyer had stopped and Overbeek broke for home on the throw. The infielder threw home and Overbeek was called out. A lengthy review seemed to show Beek avoiding the initial tag and getting his hand on the plate prior to the tag on his midsection, but according to the umpires, they couldn’t confirm his hand actually touched the plate. Out call stands.
After a wild zero from Kevin Mannell in the bottom of the 8th, Nebraska tried one more comeback in the 9th. Jeter Worthley beat out an infield single, and Dylan Carey had ball 4 glance off the top of his helmet. A wild pitch put them on 2nd and 3rd with 2 outs, but Jett Buck couldn’t get them home, as he flew out to center field.
Early opportunities to put the ball in play with runners on and 2 outs could never quite come to fruition. This NU team has excelled at both hitting with runners in scoring position and hitting with 2 outs. You expect when you get 7 out of 9 innings where your leadoff batter reaches base, that you are going to score more runs and win the game. Today however, 16 strikeouts prevented them from moving runners over are well as they have become accustomed to in their multiple 10 game winning streaks.
The two teams are going to be back on the diamond Saturday, with a little earlier first pitch than originally scheduled to try and get in front of another rain storm. Mac Moyer will step into the left handed battter’s box to get things started at 2pm CDT.
