Nebraska goes down fighting against Arkansas to end its season

The Nebraska baseball team (34-14) were taken down by the nation’s top team, Arkansas (49-11), 6-2 in the Fayetteville Regional Final. A loss to the Razorbacks ends an incredible season for the Huskers as Big Ten champions and a hard-fought postseason run.

Cade Povich got the start for the Big Red and brought some of his best stuff. The junior struck out two batters in the first inning and handed it over to his offense. Luke Roskam gave the starter some help with a solo home run to right field. After another scoreless inning from the lefty in the second inning, NU manufactured a run to go up 2-0.

Povich hung up four zeros on the scoreboard, but Arkansas got to him with a solo shot to left to lead off the bottom of the fifth. After two more Razorbacks got on base, Cam Wynne took over on the mound and got two pop ups to end the inning.

In the sixth inning, Arkansas tied things up with another solo homer and things got loud in Baum Walker Stadium. Kevin Kopps for the Razorbacks had the Huskers swinging at air and heading into the bottom of the eighth inning, it was still tied at two.

Cam Wynne had gone 1 2/3 innings earlier in the game, followed by Emmett Olson who went 1/3. Koty Frank was on the mound to start the eighth and he got two outs to start the inning. After walking two batters, Jake Bunz stepped in with a 2-0 count and walked the bases loaded. The junior then threw a wild pitch that gave the Razorbacks the lead, then a huge swing from Charlie Welch made it 6-2 with a three run home run.

Although this will end the Nebraska season, the team can leave with their heads held high as they went into the home of the number one ranked team in the country and gave them their hardest test of the season.

Nebraska got out to an ideal start, going up 2-0 with a homer from Roskam and a manufactured run. On top of that, Cade Povich was dealing from the mound. The lefty struck out six in his 4 1/3 innings pitched and allowed just three hits for one run.

While hanging on to a slim lead, Kevin Kopps just dominated the Huskers. The National Pitcher of the Year kept the Big Red scoreless while his offense was able to do their job on the other side of things. When NU needed some runs to break the 2-2 tie, the Razorback senior had other ideas.

In the eighth inning when Nebraska had two outs, Christian Franklin worked a walk after fouling off multiple pitches. After that, NU walked two more batters and had a wild pitch that gave Arkansas the lead. A huge swing then broke the game open, but the damage was done with the free bases and the struggle to get that third out. With just five walks in the game, those three were crucial in changing the outcome of this game.