It was a Husker Heartbreak Friday night after a much-needed win slipped away after a big Minnesota ninth inning. Nebraska entered the ninth leading by one, but a five-run Gopher ninth put Minnesota over the top in a 9-7 victory. The Huskers are now 22-16-1 on the season and 7-6 in the Big Ten.
The Gophers jumped on Nebraska starter Emmet Olson, plating two runs on four hits in inning number one. Four of the first five Golden Gophers reached base and two notched extra-base hits.
The Huskers cut the lead in half in the bottom of the inning after a Gabe Swansen single scored Brice Matthews. With two runners on and two out, Dylan Carey nearly tied the ball game, but his two-out blast was caught on the warning track.
Olson’s struggles continued into the second. Minnesota quickly snatched their two-run lead back after a Kyle Bork no-doubt homerun. Later in the inning, Brett Bateman scored for the Gophers after Olson’s errant second base pickoff attempt.
After a clean inning by Olson, NU got to work in the bottom of the third. The Huskers got runners on the corners with one out. Gabe Swansen then crushed a 3-run homer to right field, tying the game at 4.
Olson found himself in more trouble in the fourth after Gophers got two on with no outs. Olson fought his way out of the jam, inducing two ground for three outs.
The two sides stayed deadlocked at four until the 6th inning. With two on and two outs, Casey Burnham RBI gave them their first lead of the night.
At the bottom of the inning, Shay Schanaman came in relief for Olson. Despite struggling to start the game, Olson battled for the Big Red. The lefty blanked the Gophers for four straight innings. Olson finished the day with six innings pitched, six strikeouts, eight hits allowed, and four runs, three earned.
Schanman worked two straight scoreless innings for Nebraska, allowing three baserunners and striking out three batters.
Huskers had an opportunity up one to add some insurance runs in the ninth with the bases loaded, but a sharply hit Max Anderson grounder could not get out of the infield. The Huskers entered the ninth with a 5-4 lead.
Schanaman returned to the mound looking to finish the nine-out save. Schanman faced trouble early against the top of the Gopher lineup. The first two Minnesota batters got on base, invoking a mound visit from pitching coach Jeff Christy.
After the visit, Schanman bounced back, recording an out, but couldn’t get out of the inning. A Sharply hit groundball ate up Brice Matthews, entering the outfield and allowed the Gopher’s to tie the game at 5. Minnesota added four more runs after a bases-loaded walk gave them the lead, and a bases-clearing double made it a 9-7 ball game.
Nebraska started a rally in the ninth, cutting the lead in half after a two-out, two-RBI single from Ben Columbus. Matthews, the winning run, came to the plate but was put down on strikes to end the game.
The Huskers and Gophers will face off again tomorrow, April 29, at 2:05.