There's no pretending that the performance the Nebraska baseball team put forward on Saturday night was a perfect one. A combination of defensive miscues, poor relief pitching, and the inability to cash in on opportunities that Ole Miss starter Taylor Rabe likely meant the Huskers would open Sunday just fighting for their Lincoln Regional life. However, the weather intervened, suspending the contest in the ninth inning.
While there are valid complaints about the powers that be forcing the Huskers to play a single inning that will start with them losing 6-3, NU should use the suspended game as a kind of one-inning do-over. It's unlikely that Will Bolt's squad will come from behind and win in the 9th inning - though their flair for the dramatic means it's not ruled out - what the Cornhuskers can take away from this afternoon's final inning is a way to try and figure out what went wrong and make sure they play better in the elimination game later on Sunday.
Nebraska got a blessing and a curse when the NCAA handed NU its regional. The Huskers are hosting for the first time since 2008. However, their first Lincoln regional in almost 20 years featured a killer draw. With Ole Miss and Arizona State both coming to town, more than a few analysts called this the toughest regional in the NCAA Tournament.
The Cornhuskers have found themselves in dire situations, and they did find at least a little momentum when a pinch-hit two-run homer by Max Buettenback gave them some life. Even if they don't complete an improbable comeback, Will Bolt and his squad need to prepare to play much better, as they could now face three straight elimination games.
Nebraska baseball must use its one-inning restart to fix a shaky Lincoln Regional showing
Nebraska now needs to hit the reset button and find that new gear they weren't able to find against either South Dakota State or Ole Miss. A team that won a ton of games thanks to its offense hasn't seen much punch so far in the Lincoln regional.
Pitching was key to NU's win over the Jackrabbits. Carson Jasa twirled a gem and got some very late help from an offense that's been mostly quiet. Rather than spending Saturday night and Sunday morning reflecting on a loss, they spent the night and now the morning looking for that new gear. The extra inning could be the spark they've been missing, even with a massive red-clad crowd trying to will them to the super regionals.
The one-inning rainout was a pain in the butt for everyone involved. It means using a pitcher that might not have been used if the game was completed on Saturday night. But it could be a way for Nebraska to dig deep and turn things around before it gets out of control.
Should Nebraska not manage to forge a comeback for the ages against Ole Miss at noon on Sunday, they'll face off against the Sun Devils later in the afternoon. If they can win that game, they'll face off against the Rebels again knowing they now need to beat them twice in a row. Some sort of energy boost is badly needed.
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