Tenacious NU sweeps past Cajuns
This is why Nebraska’s baseball team still feels like it’s in the hunt for the Big 12 Conference championship even though it’s 2½ games behind first-place Texas A&M with the red-hot Aggies coming to town next weekend.
Trailing Louisiana-Lafayette 3-1 and down to their final out in the second game of a doubleheader in Haymarket Park Saturday night, the sixth-ranked Huskers got some help from the Ragin’ Cajuns to force extra innings and then won 4-3 on Mitch Abeita’s RBI single with one out in the 14th inning.
NU took the first game by the same score thanks to an unearned run in the eighth inning.
Saturday’s sweep left Nebraska 36-8-1 on the season and 26-2-1 at Haymarket Park.
Abeita, who caught all 23 innings of the doubleheader, lined a full-count pitch from right-handed junior Gregory Harmon up the middle to drive in Jake Mort from second base. Harmon had walked Mort, the first batter he faced, before Mort took second on a passed ball. After Jake Opitz lined out to shortstop, Abeita delivered the game-winner.
Louisiana-Lafayette right-handed freshman Michael Cook gave up just seven hits and an unearned run over seven innings before handing things over to right-handed sophomore Justin Robichaux, who was trying to notch his school single-season record ninth save.
Robichaux then retired four straight before giving up a single to Bryce Nimmo with out in the ninth. After advancing on a groundout, Nimmo scored on a single by Opitz to make it 3-2.
NU’s hopes appeared to be over when Robichaux got Abeita to hit a chopper to third baseman Tyler Benzel, but Benzel threw wildly past first baseman Chance Harst. As Harst chased after the ball, Opitz rounded third, and though Harst’s throw home beat him to the plate he slid under the tag of catcher Dillon Guillory to tie the game.
Louisiana-Lafayette also gave Nebraska an opening that the Huskers used to win Saturday’s first contest.
NU produced the decisive run of that game after Ben Kline delivered a one-out hit-and-run single that advanced Cody Neer to third.
Bryce Nimmo then hit a grounder to shortstop Greg Fontenot, but with Kline on the run Fontenot had no choice but to throw to first, rather than try for a double play, allowing Neer to score the decisive run.
“I wouldn’t have swung at it (had it not been a hit-and-run play),” Kline said. “I’m a free swinger, but that one was low and in, so …”
He executed what was asked of him.
Just as Neer had tried to do earlier in the inning when asked to try and advance DJ Belfonte, who had reached on an error, with a sacrifice bunt.
Asked when the last time he was asked to start a hit-and-run play, Neer said. “Never.
“When’s the last time I sac bunted? That’s two-in-one.
“(NU coach Mike Anderson) put it together. He was trying to get something going in that inning … doing everything he could.”
Zach Herr (2-2) earned the win in relief for Johnny Dorn, striking out three of the four hitters he faced in a perfect 11/3 innings.
The matchup between Dorn and Hunter Moody — Nos. 1 and 2 in career wins among active NCAA Division I pitchers, turned into a draw, as Dorn scattered five hits and fanned 11 over 52/3 innings, while Moody allowed three runs on eight hits over the same distance.
“Johnny pitched phenomenally,” Herr said. “He’s been playing so hard for this team and to come in after a guy like that you want to back him up. You know that you’ve got to have that same intensity as he does, because he proves it every time he goes out there.”
Briefly
Aaron Pribanic started Saturday night’s game in place of Thad Weber. Saturday morning, Weber’s wife, Megan, delivered the couple’s first child, Isabel Carol Shannon Weber.
Reach Curt McKeever at 473-7441 or cmckeever@journalstar.com.
Trailing Louisiana-Lafayette 3-1 and down to their final out in the second game of a doubleheader in Haymarket Park Saturday night, the sixth-ranked Huskers got some help from the Ragin’ Cajuns to force extra innings and then won 4-3 on Mitch Abeita’s RBI single with one out in the 14th inning.
NU took the first game by the same score thanks to an unearned run in the eighth inning.
Saturday’s sweep left Nebraska 36-8-1 on the season and 26-2-1 at Haymarket Park.
Abeita, who caught all 23 innings of the doubleheader, lined a full-count pitch from right-handed junior Gregory Harmon up the middle to drive in Jake Mort from second base. Harmon had walked Mort, the first batter he faced, before Mort took second on a passed ball. After Jake Opitz lined out to shortstop, Abeita delivered the game-winner.
Louisiana-Lafayette right-handed freshman Michael Cook gave up just seven hits and an unearned run over seven innings before handing things over to right-handed sophomore Justin Robichaux, who was trying to notch his school single-season record ninth save.
Robichaux then retired four straight before giving up a single to Bryce Nimmo with out in the ninth. After advancing on a groundout, Nimmo scored on a single by Opitz to make it 3-2.
NU’s hopes appeared to be over when Robichaux got Abeita to hit a chopper to third baseman Tyler Benzel, but Benzel threw wildly past first baseman Chance Harst. As Harst chased after the ball, Opitz rounded third, and though Harst’s throw home beat him to the plate he slid under the tag of catcher Dillon Guillory to tie the game.
Louisiana-Lafayette also gave Nebraska an opening that the Huskers used to win Saturday’s first contest.
NU produced the decisive run of that game after Ben Kline delivered a one-out hit-and-run single that advanced Cody Neer to third.
Bryce Nimmo then hit a grounder to shortstop Greg Fontenot, but with Kline on the run Fontenot had no choice but to throw to first, rather than try for a double play, allowing Neer to score the decisive run.
“I wouldn’t have swung at it (had it not been a hit-and-run play),” Kline said. “I’m a free swinger, but that one was low and in, so …”
He executed what was asked of him.
Just as Neer had tried to do earlier in the inning when asked to try and advance DJ Belfonte, who had reached on an error, with a sacrifice bunt.
Asked when the last time he was asked to start a hit-and-run play, Neer said. “Never.
“When’s the last time I sac bunted? That’s two-in-one.
“(NU coach Mike Anderson) put it together. He was trying to get something going in that inning … doing everything he could.”
Zach Herr (2-2) earned the win in relief for Johnny Dorn, striking out three of the four hitters he faced in a perfect 11/3 innings.
The matchup between Dorn and Hunter Moody — Nos. 1 and 2 in career wins among active NCAA Division I pitchers, turned into a draw, as Dorn scattered five hits and fanned 11 over 52/3 innings, while Moody allowed three runs on eight hits over the same distance.
“Johnny pitched phenomenally,” Herr said. “He’s been playing so hard for this team and to come in after a guy like that you want to back him up. You know that you’ve got to have that same intensity as he does, because he proves it every time he goes out there.”
Briefly
Aaron Pribanic started Saturday night’s game in place of Thad Weber. Saturday morning, Weber’s wife, Megan, delivered the couple’s first child, Isabel Carol Shannon Weber.
Reach Curt McKeever at 473-7441 or cmckeever@journalstar.com.
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