Huskers Fall in Ninth on Tuesday

Nebraska fell 6-5 at Creighton after surrendering three runs in the bottom of the ninth on Tuesday night at Charles Schwab Field.

The Huskers (11-7-1) scored five runs on 10 hits and an error, while the Bluejays (8-7) scored six runs on seven hits and an error.

Jackson Brockett pitched one inning in his third start of the season, allowing three runs on three hits with three walks and a pair of strikeouts. Corbin Hawkins tossed 1.1 scoreless innings in relief, before Will Walsh toed the rubber for a career-high six innings. Walsh retired 17 of the first 18 batters he faced and didn’t allow a hit until the leadoff single in the ninth. The redshirt sophomore allowed three runs, two earned, on two hits and struck out four. Brett Sears recorded one out and dropped to 0-1 on the season.

Max Anderson led the Huskers at the plate, going 3-for-4 with a run. Josh Caron went 2-for-4 with a double, two RBI and a run. Charlie Fischer was 1-for-3 with a pair of RBI. Also recording a hit for NU was Brice Matthews, Dylan Carey, Ben Columbus and Griffin Everitt.

The Bluejays loaded the bases in the bottom of the first with three walks, but Brockett escaped the jam with a strikeout on full count to keep the game scoreless.

A hit by pitch and a pair of hits had the bases loaded for CU in the second, before a bases-clearing double made it a 3-0 game.

Nebraska responded immediately in the third, plating four runs on five hits and an error to grab a 5-4 advantage. Casey Burnham was hit by pitch for the ninth time this season and advanced to second on a wild pitch, while Matthews’ RBI single to left plated Nebraska’s first run of the night.

An error allowed Carey to reach, followed by Anderson’s single through the left side placed runners on first and second with two outs for the NU offense. Caron brought the Huskers within one with a double down the left-field line, while Fischer’s two-RBI single to center gave the Big Red a 4-3 lead in the third.

After Walsh sat down the first 11 batters he faced to maintain the 4-3 lead through six, the NU offense tacked on a run on three hits in the seventh to double the lead to 5-3. Carey and Anderson reached on back-to-back singles, setting up Caron’s no-out RBI single through the left side to score Carey.

Walsh blanked the Bluejays in the seventh and eighth innings, allowing only one baserunner on an NU throwing error to preserve the 5-3 lead going into the ninth.

CU opened bottom of the ninth with a single, and a sacrifice bunt placed a runner on second with one out. An RBI single up the middle trimmed the Husker lead to 5-4. A hit batter, passed ball and a sacrifice fly to right allowed the Jays to tie the game at five and placed the winning run on third with two outs. A wild pitch in the next at-bat brought the winning run home from third to give CU the 6-5 walk-off win.

Nebraska begins conference play this weekend, hosting Illinois for a three-game series at Hawks Field on Friday-Sunday, March 24-26.