Ohio State got off to a fast start. A leadoff single was followed by a pair of walks to load the bases with 1 out. After an early mound visit, Husker starting pitcher induced a popup for the second out. Ohio State DH Mason Eckelman drove a ball to the right field warning track which Drew Grego had to hustle to catch up to. He was able to get a glove on it, but not make the catch before slamming into the wall. The bases would clear, and Eckelmen slid into third with a 3 RBI triple.
Nebraska finally
got on the board in the 3rd. What looked like an inning ending groundout by Mac Moyer was unable to be caught by the first baseman. Catcher Jeter Worthley worked a full count before being hit by a pitch to put runners on first and second. First baseman Case Sanderson shot the first pitch he saw right back up the middle, scoring Moyer for an unearned run. Huskers cut the lead to 3-1.
Ohio State would respond right away. First baseman Dane Harvey unloaded into a Blachowicz pitch and just snuck it over Moyer and the right center wall for his 14th home run of the season. The Buckeyes were back up 3, at 4-1.
The teams traded zeros until the seventh inning. Husker left fielder Jett Buck led off the inning with a double to left. That marked the first extra base hit for the Huskers in the series, and only the second time a leadoff batter reached, in the 16th inning the teams have played. Back to back groundouts to the right side of the infield by Josh Overbeek and then Grego brought in Buck to cut the lead to 4-2.
Eckleman answered right back for the Buckeyes, leading off the bottom of the inning with a double off of reliever Caleb Clark. Nebraska got Tucker Timmerman out of the pen, and he struck out his first batter. A lazy fly to center moved Eckleman over to third. A single to shallow center knocked him in and again the score was back to a 3 run game at 5-2.
Timmerman worked a scoreless 7th but gave up a 2 out single in the 8th, and then Eckleman put an exclamation on his big night, drilling a slider over the wall for a 2 run home run, leaving Eckleman a single short of a cycle, and giving his team a commanding 7-2 lead.
Nebraska never goes down easy. Not only did Dylan Carey lead off the inning by reaching base with a walk, but the first three Huskers all walked to load the bases. Josh Overbeek hit a ball down the left field line that landed foul by about two feet. Nebraska was that close to 3 runs likely coming in. Overbeek struck out on the next pitch. Drew Grego wore a pitch on the elbow, bringing in Carey to cut the lead to 7-3. Pinch hitter Max Buettenback was called out on a checked swing. The final out came on a Moyer fly ball to left. Ohio State takes the game an the series with the 7-3 win.
It’s not hard to see the problem with Nebraska in Ohio. The usually potent offense has only mustered a single extra base hit (and only a double at that) in 18 innings of work against a Buckeye pitching staff not known for holding down good offenses.
Nebraska has one chance left to salvage a game in Columbus. Their chance at a top 8 seed is probably out the window, but their main goal of a regional host is still in play. The room for error is getting close to zero, but the free fall of an Oregon State team that was seen as a lock for a top 8 seed a week ago lost its best player and is tumbling down the standings. So it’s not all on Nebraska’s bats, others are having similar issues. The series finale is Sunday at 1pm CDT.
