Nebraska (4-6) didn't have long to celebrate Friday night’s 2-1 win over No. 3 Texas Tech. It was a quick turnaround against another high quality opponent and Sam Houston State (6-3) came ready to play.
It was a pretty normal game through the first four innings, but things got weird in the fifth. The Huskers scored eight runs on seven hits and one error to take a 9-2 lead in the top of the fifth. Sophomore outfielder Carter Cross contributed a three RBI triple in the inning. Things seemed to be trending in the right direction for Nebraska until Sam Houston State got to bat again. The Bearkats scored six runs on three hits and two Nebraska errors in the bottom of the fifth. A seven run lead was quickly cut to one.
The bottom of the sixth inning included a controversial call in centerfield that went to review. It was called a drop on the field and junior outfielder Joe Acker was very animated. After a short review, the umpires concluded that it hit the ground and the Bearkats had the tying run on base. The very next batter stepped up and hit a two-run homer to give SHSU a 10-9 lead.
Nebraska wasn’t done yet though. A big error by the Bearkats in the top of the ninth put the Huskers in scoring position with no outs. Cross smacked his fourth RBI to tie the game at 10 going into the bottom of the ninth.
Sam Houston State fought to the end and scored the winning run on a two-out single to give the Bearkats an 11-10 win over the Huskers. It was another example of “the bad inning” (which we’ve talked about before) that Nebraska needs to avoid in order to get the win.
The Huskers showed they can get the bats going when trailing, but were unable to regain the lead from the Bearkats on Saturday. Nebraska ultimately scored 10 runs on 12 hits.
Senior Nate Fisher got the start on the mound for Nebraska and he showed good control. Fisher went four innings, giving up two runs on six hits. He recorded three strikeouts.
Sophomore Connor Curry has been strong to start the year for Nebraska, but struggled to find his groove on Saturday. Curry only contributed one out, giving up three hits. Senior Mike Waldron and junior Ben Klenke finished the game for the Huskers.
Nebraska concludes the Frisco College Baseball Classic against No. 12 Mississippi State on Sunday at 11 a.m. CT.
