Nebraska was on the road Tuesday for a matchup with former Big 12 foe Kansas State. Despite spending a lot of time on a bus over the last few days—the Huskers returned from Minneapolis early Monday morning before departing for Manhattan, Kansas—there was no sign of bus fatigue. Nebraska defeated Kansas State handedly, 7-0.
Nebraska got off to a lightning fast start and quickly loaded the bases but faced two outs in the first inning. Jaxon Hallmark stepped up to the plate and ripped one to right field. The Kansas State right fielder laid out for a diving catch but came up short and the baseball rolled to the wall. Hallmark showed his speed and completed a rare inside-the-park grand slam.
https://twitter.com/Husker_Baseball/status/1113251699467198467
This was the play of the game and Kansas State was never able to recover. Hallmark wasn't done either, as he recorded all three outs in the bottom of the third inning, including a catch where he smashed into the center field wall.
It was Kyle Perry that got the start on the mound for the Huskers and he made the most of it. Perry has continued to settle in and show that he can be a dependable mid-week guy for this team. The freshman went for 7.0 innings, giving up three hits and no runs.
Nebraska only recorded six hits on the night, but took advantage of eight walks by Wildcat pitchers. Aaron Palensky had another solid night going two-of-four, including a double and one RBI.
Bo Blessie and Tyler Martin came in to close the last two innings to preserve the 7-0 shutout.
Nebraska took a gut punch in Minneapolis over the weekend and Tuesday’s matchup in Manhattan looked like a potential trap game. The Huskers continued their fight mentality and suffocated a Kansas State team that recently took a game from No. 17 Texas Tech.
This was an impressive bounce back game for a young team that had a tough weekend in Minneapolis. The season is young, but we are seeing the fight that this coaching staff has been raving about.
The Huskers don't have much time to rest, as they take on Purdue in a three-game series this weekend in Lincoln. First pitch is set for 6:35 p.m. CT on Friday night at Haymarket Park.
