Nebraska Baseball: Huskers fall short in title game against Buckeyes

Nebraska Baseball just did not have enough on Sunday.

Following a thrilling victory over Michigan on Saturday, Nebraska Baseball faced Ohio State on Sunday in the Big Ten Championship Game as they tried to keep the magic going in what has been an impressive season.

Ohio State would strike first in the bottom of the first. Brady Cherry singled to right field with Matt Carpenter and Dominic Canzone on base. The single scored Canzone while Carpenter took second. However, that would be as far as the damage would go for the Buckeyes in the inning, but they managed to set the tone early.

They would strike again in the bottom of the fourth, as Ohio State once again took advantage of runners on base. Third baseman Nick Erwin flied out to right field, and with Brent Todys on third, he managed to cross the plate. That gave the Buckeyes a little separation on the scoreboard, and Nebraska Baseball certainly had some work to do.

Nebraska’s only run of the game came in an unconventional way. With the bases loaded, and Andrew Magno on the mound for Ohio State, Nebraska managed to juice the bases for catcher Gunnar Hellstrom. He would draw a walk, scoring third baseman Cam Chick, and making it a 2-1 ballgame in favor of Ohio State.

Unfortunately, that would be it in the scoring department for the Cornhuskers as Ohio State drew last blood. In the bottom of the eighth, Connor Pohl stepped up to bat and did his job, flying out to left field and tallying an RBI in the process. That drove Brady Dingler across  the plate and it was a 3-1 game in favor of Ohio State who now had full control of the contest. Unfortunately, Nebraska could not muster enough runs in this one to make a comeback.

Perhaps the most interesting part of this game (and perhaps the deciding factor) was their lack of scoring with runners on base. They did not score in eight opportunities, while Ohio State scored four times with 14 runners on base. Although that is not exactly a high percentage either, that is still better than nothing.

Another huge storyline in this game that won’t show up in the box score was attendance. 17,503 people attended the game Sunday, and there was a noticeable sea of red. Although this was a tough loss to swallow, the journey throughout the Big Ten tournament was fun.

Despite the loss, Nebraska Baseball is still in the NCAA tournament. With the selection show occurring on Monday, Nebraska Baseball will figure out who they play in short order. It is slated to take place at 11 AM Central time and can be seen on ESPNU.