Baseball win streak snapped at 9 games

It was too little, too late for the IU baseball team Sunday, as the Hoosiers’ late rally came up short and could not make up for early mistakes in a 3-2 loss to Nebraska at Hawks Field at Haymarket Park.

The Hoosiers scored two runs in the top of the eighth on a two-out, two-run single by senior shortstop Michael Basil that brought the Hoosiers to within one run of the Cornhuskers at 3-2.

But Husker right-hander Josh Roeder retired three IU pinch hitters in order in the top of the ninth to close out the Hoosiers (35-9, 12-5).

Nebraska started the scoring in the first inning after two defensive miscues by IU.
Pat Kelly singled to center with one out.

Designated hitter Michael Pritchard then reached on an error at third by Dustin DeMuth and advanced to second on a throwing error by Sam Travis, moving Kelly to third.

Chad Christensen hit a ball that glanced off IU starter Kyle Hart for a base hit that scored Kelly and moved Pritchard to third.

Hart later loaded the bases with a two-out walk to Blake Headley, but got out of the jam by getting Tanner Lubach to line out to left.

Nebraska tacked on another run in the second, again unearned.

Leadoff hitter Rich Sanguinetti walked with two outs and made it to third when Chad Clark’s snap throw to first got away from Sam Travis, IU’s third error through 1.2 innings.

Kelly then ripped a grounder down the right field line that Travis snared while diving to his left.

Travis nearly completed the would-be highlight reel play, feeding a covering Hart at first base while face-down on the infield, but Kelly slid head-first into the bag just ahead of the throw.

Sanguinetti scored to extend Nebraska’s lead to 2-0.

The Cornhuskers (21-24, 12-5) added a run in the fifth inning when Hart walked Lubach with the bases loaded to score Pritchard, who got on with a one-out single to center.
Pritchard got to third after two wild pitches by Hart.

With Pritchard on second, Christensen hit a chopper to the mound.

Hart fielded it, checked Pritchard at second and lobbed the ball over to first.

Travis had to jump to catch the ball, and was ruled to have come down with his foot on the base just in time for the out on a bang-bang play.

The call brought Nebraska Coach Darin Erstad out of the dugout to argue.

Replays showed Christensen may have been safe on the razor-close play, but the call stood as out.

Hart then issued three straight walks, capped by Lubach’s RBI walk, that gave the Huskers a 3-0 lead through five innings.

Nebraska left-handed starter Kyle Kubat (4-0) got the win, going 7.2 innings while allowing two runs (both earned) on five hits with two strikeouts and two walks.

Hart (7-1) took his first loss of the year after pitching 5.1 innings, allowing three runs (one earned) on seven hits with four strikeouts and five walks.

The win by Nebraska evened the series at one game each. Right-handed sophomore Aaron Slegers (6-1, 1.85 earned run average) will start for IU opposite Nebraska left-handed sophomore Aaron Bummer (1-0, 3.20 earned run average) in the rubber match at 1:05 p.m. Monday.