Ninth-Inning Rally Drops Huskers at UT Arlington

The Nebraska baseball team had a 3-0 lead heading into the bottom of the ninth but fell 4-3 at UT Arlington on Friday afternoon at Clay Gould Ball Park in Arlington, Texas.

The Huskers (2-7) had three runs on 10 hits and no errors, while the Mavericks (3-5) scored four runs on 11 hits and committed an error.

Starter Kyle Perry tossed five shutout innings, posting four strikeouts with five hits. Mason Ornelas pitched two scoreless innings in relief, while Ethan Bradford shut down the Mavericks in the eighth. Colby Gomes dropped to 0-1 on the year after allowing four runs on five hits in 0.2 innings.

Jack Steil posted a team-high two hits, going 2-for-4 at the plate. Efry Cervantes went 1-for-2 with two RBI, while Griffin Everitt was 1-for-3 with an RBI. Leighton Banjoff tallied a double and five other Huskers had a single. Josh Caron scored a team-high two runs.

Back-to-back singles by Caron and Steil and a sacrifice bunt laid down by Cervantes put runners on second and third with one out. Brice Matthews reached first on a dropped third strike before Everitt lifted a sacrifice fly to right, plating Caron and giving the Huskers a 1-0 lead in the fifth.

Nebraska added to its lead in the sixth with a rare two-run sacrifice fly by Cervantes. Singles by Luke Jessen and Steil and a walk to Caron loaded the bases for the Big Red with one out. Cervantes smacked a fly ball to right, where the Maverick outfielder made a leaping catch, allowing Jessen to score from third and Caron to race home from second and avoid the tag at the plate.

Luke Sartori drew a two-out walk in the top of the ninth and advanced to third after an errant throw by the UTA pitcher on a failed pickoff attempt, but the Huskers couldn’t get him home to add to the lead.

A pair of doubles to right center made it a two-run game in the bottom of the ninth. A hit batter and a single loaded the bases for the Mavericks before an RBI single brought UT Arlington within one run with one out. With two outs and the bases loaded, UTA benefited from a slow-rolling ground ball that resulted in an infield single to third, which tied the game at three before the Mavericks won on a four-pitch walk with the bases loaded.

The Huskers wrap up this weekend’s slate with two games tomorrow. Nebraska faces Northwestern State at 11 a.m. before taking on UT Arlington at 3 p.m. at Clay Gould Ballpark in Arlington, Texas.