It was another disappointing midweek game for the Nebraska Cornhuskers, who fell to the South Dakota State Jackrabbits 8-3. The Jackrabbits picked up their 11th straight win and first victory over Nebraska since 1971. Consistency has been an issue for the Big Red all year, and after defeating Omaha last night in a complete team victory, NU did not produce nearly the same performance tonight.
SDSU got off to a rapid start with a leadoff double, but starter Jackson Brockett worked around the early mistake and got out of the inning with two punchouts.
Brockett could not replicate the same success in the next inning. The Jackrabbits got to Borckett and scored four runs off a walk and three hits. The inning was capped off with a solo blast from Catcher Ryan Mcdonald, his team-leading 17th of the year.
The Huskers squandered a golden opportunity in the bottom of the inning with runners on the corners with one out but grounded themselves into a double play.
Brett Sears replaced Brockett in the 3rd. While the offense could not get anything going, Sears kept the Big Red in the game. Through three innings, Sears faced ten batters and recorded six strikeouts.
Sears looked like he was on cruise control in the sixth, quickly recording two outs, Then the Jackrabbits finally got to the right-hander. Sears hit a batter and allowed two hits allowing two more SDSU runs. Sears allowed one more hit but was bailed out after the runner, Jess Bellows, was thrown out by Garrett Anglim at home plate. After five, the Jackrabbits led 6-0.
The Huskers finally knocked out Jackrabbit starter Will Kent after two straight two-out singles. Reliever Jack Kruger came in and walked Ben Columbus, loading the bases, but struck out Anglim to get out of the inning.
Kent finished his day pitching 5.2 innings, allowing four hits and one run.
SDSU tacked on another run with another two-out single that scored Mcdonald, this time off of left-hander Kyle Perry.
NU’s bats finally found life in the 7th. After back-to-back one-out walks, a Casey Burnham single brought in Efry Cervantes for the first Big Red run of the game. A two-out Charlie Fischer single brought in Brice Matthews, and a Gabe Swansen single plated Burnham. Columbus nearly sent one out of the yeard the next at-bat, but the flyball was corralled on the warning track. The Huskers plated three in the seventh to bring the SDSU within striking distance.
Both teams traded scoreless eighth innings. In the ninth, NU dropped an infield flyball and a routine foul ball, allowing a Jackrabbit insurance run.
Nebraska did not rally in the ninth and fell to SDSU for the first time in 52 years.
NU is now 22-15-1 on the season and hosts Minnesota this weekend at Haymarket Park.