It was a soggy start to the season for the Nebraska baseball team, as they capped a three-game series with Stanford with a rain-soaked 4-2 loss Sunday at the Sunken Diamond.
The game was the completion of a game that started Saturday afternoon, but was suspended due to rain. The rain continued off and on throughout the day Sunday, making it tough for both teams to get into any kind of rhythm.
Nebraska took a 1-0 lead into the bottom of the seventh, but Stanford bounced back and got all their runs in the bottom of the seventh to take the final game of the three-game series.
Nebraska got its first run in the top of the fourth on a one-out double by Cody Neer, scoring Jake Opitz, who had opened the inning with a single. The Huskers scored a run in the eighth and had the tying runs on base, but Stanford closer David Stringer struck out Mitch Abeita to end the rally and then set the Huskers down in order in the ninth to get the save.
The two teams opened the season Friday with a doubleheader and split the two games. Stanford took the opener 17-7 before Nebraska came back for a 9-2 win.
In the opener, Stanford jumped out to an 8-0 lead after three innings and cruised to the win, handing Nebraska its first season-opening loss in seven years. Abeita hit a solo home run and Opitz drove in a pair of runs in the losing effort.
In the nightcap, D.J. Belafonte had a career-best four hits and four RBIs to lead Nebraska to the doubleheader split. He drove in all four runs with two outs as Nebraska scored all but one of its nine runs with two outs. Johnny Dorn pitched well in the win and became the eighth Husker to strike out 200 batters in a career as he struck out seven and allowed four hits and one unearned run over six innings.
The Nebraska baseball team opens the home part of its campaign this weekend with a three-game series against UC-Riverside beginning Friday, Feb. 29, at 1:35 p.m. at Haymarket Park. Get your Husker baseball tickets now at Ticket Express, where no Husker home game is ever sold out.
Comments