Huskers Shut Out in Series Finale, 6-0
Huskers.com
Lincoln – The #22 Nebraska baseball team (20-10) was shutout for just the second time this season on Sunday, as the Rutgers Scarlet Knights (17-13) completed a weekend sweep with a 6-0 win. The Huskers dropped a conference series for the first time in 2021 after starting the year with seven straight series wins, while Rutgers has now won four straight road series.
Senior Brent Teller turned in a masterful performance for Rutgers, allowing just two hits over 7.0 shutout innings. Teller retired NU's offense in order three times on the afternoon and struck out eight, while allowing three walks.
Shay Schanaman was tagged with his first loss of the season, falling to 4-1 on the year, after he gave up four runs on seven hits over 6.0 innings. The Grand Island product walked the first batter of the game, but then allowed just one walk the rest of the way and struck out eight on the afternoon.
After scoring one run in the first six innings of the first two games of the series, Rutgers jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the top of the first. Mike Nyisztor worked a four-pitch walk to start the game and Richie Schiekofer followed with a RBI double, with Nyisztor scoring all the way from first base. Schanaman settled in and responded with a strikeout, groundout and strikeout to limit the damage to one run.
Nebraska got the tying run on base in the bottom of the second when Max Anderson recorded NU's first hit of the game with a single, but Teller responded with a fly out and groundout to keep the Huskers off the board.
Rutgers increased its lead to 4-0 in the top of the fourth with three runs on three hits, including two doubles. Chris Brito led off with a single and Kevin Welsh doubled to put two runners in scoring position. Schanaman then got a 6-3 ground out, but it was productive, as Brito scored. After a strikeout, Schanaman hit Nyisztor and then got ahead of Schiekofer 0-2 before the right fielder lined a two-RBI double down the right-field line.
After giving up the double to Schiekofer, Schanaman retired seven straight batters, but Teller continued to limit the Huskers offense with just a pair of walks in the fourth and fifth. The Huskers started a two-out rally in the sixth when Spencer Schwellenbach worked a walk and Luke Roskam was hit-by-pitch, but Teller got out of the inning with a fly out to deep center off the bat of Anderson.
Rutgers looked to add to its lead in the seventh when it got a single and a bunt single to start the frame, but reliever Koty Frank came in and put out the fire with a fly out and a pair of groundouts to strand both runners.
Nebraska got a leadoff pinch-hit single from Gunner Hellstrom to start the bottom of the eighth and Rutgers turned the ball over to Kyle Muller. Facing the top of the Husker order, Mueller got two fly outs and a strikeout to keep the shutout intact.
Rutgers tagged on a pair of runs in the top of the ninth and then reliever Dale Stanavich finished off the sweep with a scoreless inning of relief.
The Huskers and Scarlet Knights will see each other again next weekend, as Nebraska heads to Piscataway, N.J., for pod play with Rutgers and Indiana. Nebraska will play Indiana on Saturday, Indiana and Rutgers on Sunday and then wrap up the trip with a game against Rutgers on Monday morning at 10 AM (CT).
