Nebraska baseball squeaks by SDSU in first game of Lincoln Regional
Postseason baseball is back in Lincoln, and Husker Nation was rocking Haymarket Park for the first time since 2008.
No. 13 overall seed Nebraska (43-15) took its first game of the Lincoln Regional over South Dakota State (24-32) in a 4-1 nail-biter on Friday afternoon in front of 7,828 Sea of Red.
The Jackrabbits wouldn’t go away, giving the Big Red everything they had.
Too tight for comfort at 2-1 in the bottom of the eighth, Dylan Carey came to the rescue with a lead-off solo blast to left field. The senior shortstop finished 3-for-3 at the plate to reach all four times and came through at the biggest moment.
Jett Buck followed with a two-out solo nuke to right field to quiet the few blue and yellow faithful in the stands.
Carson Jasa (10-2, 3.59 ERA) absolutely dominated in his first regional start. He posted 6 1/3 with one earned run surrendered off eight strikeouts on 92 pitches (58 strikes) to retire 18-of-26 faced.
J’Shawn Unger worked the final 2 2/3 and struck out another four to notch his 13th save of the season.
Here is an instant recap from the 402…
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Much-needed ace-like stuff from Jasa, Unger holds
Will Bolt and Rob Childress kept the pitching rotation in order to start their ace, Carson Jasa. While there were split opinions across Husker Nation to start Jasa, NU needed its top arm to shut down the SDSU lineup.
The 6-foot-7 Nebraska righty worked through two-out singles in each of the first two with three strikeouts, all of which were looking. And in the third, the Jackrabbits put Jasa and the NU defense in a one-out jam with runners at the corners.
However, the sophomore ace used stellar shortstop Dylan Carey to force a 6-4-3 double play and escape unscathed.
That momentum remained from the mound as Jasa worked a 1-2-3 fourth and struck out the side in the fifth — eight Jasa Ks through five — and worked a scoreless sixth.
In the seventh, Jasa ran into another jam after plunking the lead-off SDSU batter and a single to put runners at the corners with no outs. Yet again, the Thornton, Colorado, native responded to get the force at home and end his 6 1/3 strong showing.
Closer J’Shawn Unger took over the jam with two on, and credit Buck in left field. The senior transfer threw a rocket to snipe t the Jackrabbit at home for the second out.
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However, Owen Siegert delivered a two-out RBI knock to cut the Nebraska lead to one. And threatened with a walk to load the bases, but Unger struck out the next to hold the lead and escape.
Unger settled in the eighth to work a 1-2-3 frame and capped off the save in the ninth.
Nebraska’s offense finds a way
The Big Red was after SDSU starter Sam Schlecht to smack a hit in each of the first three frames, but could not put it together with five left on base.
Yet Jett Buck recharged the Husker barrels with a lead-off double before Joshua Overbeek set the stage at the corners with a single. Moments later, Larry “Trey” Fikes smacked Buck home with an RBI single to chase Schlecht.
Mac Moyer followed with a productive RBI at-bat to make it 2-0. Buck’s spark. That 2-run inning snapped a 14-inning scoreless stretch that dated back to the quarterfinals of the Big Ten Tournament.
However, SDSU arm and Omaha (Neb.) native Ty Madison shut down the brewing Nebraska momentum. In fact, Madison tossed four shutout innings in relief with just one hit allowed to stifle the Big Red offense before NU’s veterans took over in the eighth.
Carey made sure there would be no Jackrabbit upset like across the rest of the country with his solo blast, and Buck put the cherry on top with another to make it 4-1 and stuff the SDSU hope.
RELATED — Three Takes: Nebraska baseball wins the kind of game regional hosts must win
Nebraska returns to the ball diamond for the Lincoln Regional on Saturday at 7 p.m. CT to face the winner of No. 2 seed Ole Miss and No 3 Arizona State.
