Huskers Complete Four-Game Sweep With 10-2 Win on Sunday
Huskers.com
LINCOLN - The Nebraska baseball team (11-4) won its sixth straight game and completed a four-game sweep of the Minnesota Golden Gophers (3-11) on Sunday afternoon at Hawks Field in front of 2,599 fans with a 10-2 victory.
Shay Schanaman was stellar in his fourth career start, as he struck out a career-high 10 and allowed just two runs on three hits over a career-high 7.1 innings. The Grand Island, Neb., native retired the Gophers in order five times on the afternoon.
Schanaman allowed a single to start the game and then retired 13 straight Gophers before allowing a one-out walk in the fifth. Schanaman quickly ended the inning with a fly out and his seventh strikeout of the game.
The Huskers received multi-hit performance from Luke Roskam, Jaxon Hallmark and Spencer Schwellenbach. Roskam produced a team-high three RBIs on the day, pushing his series total to nine.
The Huskers jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first, taking advantage of a Joe Acker's leadoff walk. Hallmark followed with a single and then Schwellenbach put both in scoring position with a sacrifice bunt. The bunt paid off, as Cam Chick plated Acker with a ground out to second base.
After Schanaman put the Gophers down in order in the top of the third the NU offense took advantage of an error and plated four unearned runs in the bottom of the inning. A groundout by Schwellenbach should have ended the inning, but because of catcher's interference earlier in the inning it was only the second out of the inning. Chick drove in a run with a single, Roskam notched his seventh and eighth RBIs of the series with a single and Mojo Hagge picked up an RBI when he was hit-by-pitch with the bases loaded.
The Huskers added to their lead in the sixth, again taking advantage of a Minnesota error. Griffin Everitt roped a two-out double of the left field wall and then the inning should have been over when Acker hit a line drive to left, but Andrew Wilhite dropped the ball, allowing Everitt to score, pushing Nebraska's lead to 6-0.
After a one-out walk in the fifth snapped Schanaman's streak of 13 straight retired, the junior then sat down nine straight before Chase Stanke roped a one-out single in the eighth. Pinch-hitter Brett Bateman followed with a double and the Huskers went to reliever Max Schreiber. Pinch-hitter Otto Grimm drew a walk and then Wilhite drove in a run with a single before Schreiber ended the frame with an double play.
Nebraska tagged on three runs in the bottom of the seventh on just one hit. Schwellenbach led off with a single and two batters later he was on third with two outs. Two Gophers relievers then combined to give out five-straight free passes, as they hit two batters and issued three walks. Roskam pushed NU's lead to 10-2 in the bottom of the eighth with a two-out single, his team-high seventh hit of the series.
The Huskers open the month of April on the road next weekend when they head to Champaign, Ill., for three games against the Illinois Fighting Illini. The series opener is set for 4 PM (CT) on Friday.
