Nebraska wrapped up the opening weekend of conference play with a win. The Huskers completed the sweep of Michigan State with a 6-2 victory on Sunday.
Reece Eddins added to a strong weekend for Nebraska pitching. Eddins went 5.0 innings and recorded his first win of the season. Mike Waldron came in and did Mike Waldron things as he gave up no hits in 2.0 innings of action.
Big Red wrapped up the game with innings from Ben Klenke, Paul Tillotson and Shay Schanaman. Schanaman recorded the first save of his career in a short outing. He came in to deal the last out of the game.
At the plate, Cam Chick continued to have success going 2-for-5 with two RBIs. Joe Acker had one of his best outings of the season, going 2-for-3 and recording the first triple of his career.
The Huskers also made some spectacular defensive plays when it looked like Michigan State might get something going.
https://twitter.com/Husker_Baseball/status/1109900263446454278
Overall, this was another team win that started with great pitching. Completing the sweep is something Nebraska needed to do against a team like Michigan State and they found a way to get it done.
Let’s take a look at three takeaways from the series overall.
Dominant on the Mound
In the double header Friday, Waldron and Nate Fisher absolutely controlled the game from start to finish. Waldron and Fisher combined for 16.1 innings, gave up two runs and walked zero batters.
Reece Eddins got the start in the final game and did not disappoint. Eddins pitched 5.0 innings with four strikeouts, one hit and no runs. If you did the math that means the Husker starters went for 21.1 innings and gave up one run.
Pitching like this will win Nebraska games. Yes, Michigan State came into the weekend 3-15, but Nebraska threw strikes all weekend, giving up only four walks.
3-0 Conference Start
3-0 is great on any weekend, but 3-0 to start conference play is even better. Nebraska has now won seven of its last eight and has really started to build come confidence. Darin Erstad called conference play an absolute grind and 3-0 is a good way to start a grind.
Nebraska failed to make the conference tournament last season so they know how big every conference win can be.
This Husker team has won seven of their last eight and are really building confidence with every win. Conference play picks up with a tough challenge in Minneapolis next weekend.
Altavilla Battling Despite Batting Slump
Nebraska had a very successful weekend, but senior Angelo Altavilla finds himself in a current slump. Everybody knows what Altavilla is capable of, but he went 0-for-10 on the weekend and has struggled as of late.
The good news is that is doesn't appear to be bothering him. He continues to make great plays on the infield and provides leadership for this young team.
Altavilla is one of three Huskers with a home run this season, so lookout when he does get back on track.
Nebraska is back in action on Tuesday at Creighton. First pitch is set for 6:35 p.m. CT.
