Huskers collapse in the ninth and fall to UT Arlington

The Nebraska baseball team (2-7) saw a 3-0 lead disappear in the bottom of the ninth inning as UT Arlington (3-5) rallied for a walk-off walk, handing the Huskers a 4-3 loss.

Kyle Perry got the start on the mound for NU and had his longest outing of the season. The senior threw five scoreless innings, allowing just five hits and striking out four. The offense then started the fifth with back-to-back base hits and a sacrifice bunt from Efry Cervantes. A run was then driven in by Griffin Everitt on a sacrifice fly, and the Big Red broke the deadlock.

The following inning, Cervantes sacrificed again with a deep fly ball to right center field. The outfielder for the Mavericks fell after making the catch for out number two, and two runs came around to score.

Mason Ornelas took over on the mound to keep the scoreboard clean, and he did just that. The junior threw two clean innings with just one runner getting on the base paths. Ethan Bradford then took the ball in the eighth where he gave up just one hit and no runs.

Things fell apart in the ninth inning as Colby Gomes took the mound and gave up five hits. With the bases loaded and the game tied at three, Gomes walked a final batter and the Mavericks walked the game off.

The ninth inning was a nightmare for Colby Gomes. A leadoff double, followed by another double with an out drove in the first run. The junior then hit the next batter, and two base hits that barely left the infield loaded the bases and made the score 3-2, Nebraska. After getting out number two, Zach Henry’s base hit ties the game at three, and a walk from Gomes gave the Mavericks a walk-off win.

In a game where the Huskers had the control until that final half-inning, the bottom of the ninth could not have played out worse for them.

Although it was a devastating loss, there are some positives that NU can take away. Kyle Perry had his longest outing of the season, going five scoreless inning and allowing just five hits. After two rough starts in the last two series’, he saw major improvement today.

The two relievers that the Big Red used in the sixth, seventh and eighth inning also went three scoreless combined. Mason Ornelas and Ethan Bradford held the lead for Nebraska and allowed just one hit between them.

The Huskers will struggle to see these things after a bitter loss, but there were things that coach Bolt will look back on with a positive outlook.

NU will play another doubleheader against the same two teams on Saturday. The first game against Northwestern State will start at 11:00 a.m. and the Big Red will take on UT Arlington again at 3:00 p.m.

Both games are unavailable to stream on video, but can be heard on the Husker Sports Radio Network.