Huskers Drop Game One of Saturday’s Doubleheader

The Nebraska baseball team dropped game one of the doubleheader on Saturday, as the Huskers fell 5-1 in a seven-inning affair at Sam Houston in Huntsville, Texas.

The Huskers (0-2) scored one run on five hits and committed two errors, while the Bearkats (2-0) had five runs on eight hits and an error.

Luke Jessen had a team-high two hits, followed by Leighton Banjoff, Colby Gomes and Luke Sartori with one hit each.

Shay Schanaman fell to 0-1 on the year after allowing four runs, three earned, on six hits and four strikeouts in the four-inning start. Ethan Bradford tossed the final two innings in scoreless relief. The junior allowed two hits and had a pair of strikeouts.

The Huskers opened the scoring in the second with an RBI single by Sartori to give the Big Red a 1-0 lead. Griffin Everitt reached with one out on a muffed throw by the Bearkat first baseman and advanced to third on Jessen’s two-out single in his first collegiate at-bat. With runners on first and third and two outs, Sartori lined a 1-2 pitch back up the middle to plate Nebraska’s first run.

Sam Houston raced out to a 4-1 lead after scoring four runs on a three hits and Husker fielding error in the third. A leadoff bunt single and a fielding error by Core Jackson put runners on first and third with no outs before Clayton Chadwick’s RBI double to right center scored the game’s tying run. An RBI single to a diving Brice Matthews up the middle behind second base, a bases-loaded walk and a sacrifice fly to right put the Bearkats ahead by three. With runners on first and second, Leighton Banjoff made a diving catch down the right field line to get the Big Red out of the jam.

The Bearkats added a run in the fifth to grow the lead to 5-1. Justin Wishkoski began the inning with a triple to right center before Bradford took the mound and retired the next two batters on strikeouts. Easton Loyd’s RBI single ricocheted off the glove of Max Anderson and kicked into shallow left field to score Wishkoski.