Manhattan, Kan. – The Nebraska baseball team (23-14, 7-5 Big Ten) notched its first extra-inning win of the year and snapped a five-game losing streak on Tuesday night with a 5-1 victory over the Kansas State Wildcats (16-21, 3-9 Big 12) in 11 innings at Tointen Stadium.
After neither team had scored since the fifth and the game tied 1-1 in the top of the 11th, the Huskers broke the tie with four runs on four hits, including three runs before the Wildcats recorded an out. With KSU closer Lucas Benenati on the mound, Taylor Fish broke the 1-1 tie with a single that scored Scott Schreiber, who led off the inning with a single. Luis Alvarado then loaded the base with a bunt single and Jake Schleppenbach drove in two more with a single down the right-field line. Benenati later plated another run with a base-loaded balk.
The Wildcats loaded the bases with one out in the bottom of the 11th against freshman Chad Luensmann. With leadoff hitter Clayton Dalrymple at the plate and representing the tying run, Luensmann induced a game-ending 4-6-3 double play for his first win as a Husker.
The Huskers totaled 13 hits on the night, including two each from Fish, Schreiber, Alvarado, Jake Placzek and Jake Schleppenbach. Five Husker pitchers worked on the night, allowing 11 hits and two walks.
Max Knutson started for the Huskers and matched a career high with 4.0 innings. The junior from Arden Hills, Minn., gave up a run on five hits and a walk, while striking out two.
The Wildcats got 3.0 shutout innings from starter Logan Wiley, but he didn’t factor into the decision. The freshman gave up two hits and no walk, while striking out three. KSU used five pitchers out of the pen behind Wiley.
Facing reliever Brandon Erickson in the top of the fourth, Placzek welcomed him with a single and following a strikeout by Ben Miller, Placzek swiped second base. Schreiber worked a walk and Jake Meyers came through with a RBI single to give NU a 1-0 lead. On the play first baseman Jake Scudder committed an error on the relay home, allowing Schreiber and Meyers to both take an extra base. With two Huskers in scoring position, Erickson shutdown the inning with back-to-back strikeouts.
Knutson took the mound in the bottom of the fifth and gave up back-to-back singles to start the frame, ending his night. Reece Eddins came in and Jake Wodtke executed an infield bunt to load the bases with no out, but KSU would just get one run out of the opportunity. After Eddins got a shallow fly out for the first out of the inning, pinch hitter Cory Wright put a fly ball down the left field line that was deep enough to score Josh Ethier, tying the game at 1-1. Eddins then stranded a pair of runners with a fly out to left.
The Wildcats mounted a threat in the sixth when they got back-to-back singles to start the frame. Brooks Zimmerman then blasted a fly ball to deep left field, but Alvarado made a leaping catch to deny extra bases and neither runner advanced on the play. NU turned the ball over to Jeff Chesnut and KSU tried the hit-and-run, but Ethier popped out to Schreiber who quickly tossed to Chesnut for the inning-ending double play.
Nebraska had the go-ahead run on in the ninth when Fish lined a one-out single into center field, but the rally was quickly over when Alvarado hit into a 6-4-3 double play. Reliever Garett King then struck out a pair in the bottom of the frame and after giving up a two-out single, he got an inning-ending ground out to push the game into extras.
Schleppenbach started the 10th with a single and was soon in scoring position following a ground out by Steven Reveles. With the top of NU’s order coming to the play, lefty reliever Jordan Floyd struck out Boldt, walked Placzek and struck out Miller to keep the game tied, 1-1.
Luensmann took the mound in the bottom of the 10th and sat the Wildcats down in order, setting the stage for the Huskers to retake the lead in the 11th.
After playing five straight games road games, the Huskers will be back at Hawks Field this weekend for a three-game non-conference series against Nicholls State. The series between the Huskers and Colonels starts on Friday night at 6:35 p.m.