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Headley Comes Through Again, Huskers Win in 11

husker baseballPeoria, Ariz. – For the second straight day the BYU Cougars intentionally walked Ryan Boldt to get to Blake Headley and for the second straight day the senior from Omaha made the Cougars pay with a double. After roping a two-out, three-RBI double in the ninth inning yesterday, Headley drove in the eventual game-winning run with a one-out double in the top of the 11th that powered the Nebraska baseball team (3-2, 0-0 Big Ten) to a 3-1 victory over BYU in the second game of a doubleheader on Saturday. The victory in game two split a doubleheader between the two teams and gives Nebraska a 2-1 series lead heading into tomorrow’s finale.

After Austin Darby led off the 11th inning with a single, Wes Edrington executed a sacrifice bunt that put the go-ahead run at second base. With Boldt coming to the plate and first base empty, the Cougars intentionally walked Boldt, who entered the at-bat 8-for-12 in the series. Headley stepped up to the occasion again and laced a 1-1 offering into right field for an RBI double that gave the Huskers their first lead of the game. BYU then intentionally walked Ben Miller to get to Tanner Lubach, who was 0-for-17 on the season, and the senior catcher delivered with a deep sacrifice fly to right field that easily scored Boldt to put the Huskers ahead, 3-1.

Following 2.2 innings of one-hit relief from Colton Howell, Nebraska turned the ball over to closer Josh Roeder in the bottom of the 11th and the senior closed the door for his third save of the season and the 21st of his career.

The game went to extras after neither team could find a run late in the game.

BYU had the go-ahead run in scoring position with one down in the eighth after Hayden Nielsen led off with a single and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt. The Huskers gambled by intentionally walking Dillon Robinson and then brought in Howell from the bullpen. BYU countered with pinch-hitter Cole Wilstead and Howell won the battle with a 4-6-3 double play that kept the game tied, 1-1, through eight innings.

The Huskers got their leadoff man on in the ninth when Boldt beat out an infield single for his second hit of the day, but he was only able to reach second base after BYU reliever Michael Rucker got three straight outs, including two strikeouts.

BYU also had its leadoff runner on in the ninth with a base hit from Colton Shaver, but were also unable to drive him in. After Parker Starr popped up a bunt attempt for the first out of the inning, Howell got a 4-3 double play off the bat of Jarrett Jarvis that pushed the game into extra innings.

Nebraska went down in order in the top of the 10th and Howell was in position to retire the Cougars in order, but NU’s defense committed consecutive two-out errors that put the winning run on second base. With Robinson up, BYU’s No. 3 hitter, Howell took matters into his own hands and struck out Robinson to push the game to the 11th.

Starter Kyle Kubat didn’t factor into the decision, but gave the Huskers a strong start, going 7.1 innings in his second outing of the year. The senior lefty retired the Cougars in order three times on the afternoon, while giving up one run on seven hits and one walk, while striking out six.

After Kubat retired nine of the last 10 BYU batters he had faced, Robinson snuck a double down the right-field line with one out in the sixth and then moved to third on a wild pitch. With the Husker infield drawn in, Dallen Reber hit a grounder to Edrington and the Husker shortstop fired home, but it was wide of the plate and Robinson scored to give BYU a 1-0 lead. Kubat was able to keep the damage to one run, responding with a strikeout and a fly out.

The Nebraska offense quickly tied the game, 1-1, with a run in the top of the seventh on a two-out hit from Jake Schleppenbach. With Headley on second with two outs following a strikeout by Scott Schreiber, Schleppenbach came through with a base hit to left field that tied the game, 1-1. With Miller in scoring position at second base, BYU went to Rucker, who retired pinch-hitter Austin Christensen to end the NU seventh.

Neither team scored in the eighth, ninth or 10th innings, setting the stage for Headley to play hero for the second-straight day.

Nebraska and BYU conclude their four-game series tomorrow at 1 p.m. (CT).

Huskers Drop First Game of Double Dip

husker baseballPeoria, Ariz. – After the Nebraska baseball team (2-3, 0-0 Big Ten) rallied from a 3-0 deficit to win 6-3 in the opening-game a four-game series yesterday, the BYU Cougars (1-5, 0-0 WCC) rallied from 0-3 hole on Friday afternoon for a 8-3 victory in the first game of a doubleheader at the Peoria Sports Complex.

Ryan Boldt continued to swing a hot stick for the Huskers with his second straight three-hit performance.

Nebraska starter Chance Sinclair tossed three shutout innings to start the game before giving up five runs in the top of the fourth. Sinclair went on to give up seven runs on 10 hits, both career highs, and fell to 1-1 on the year.

BYU’s Jeff Barker picked up his first win of the year after lasting 6.0 innings. The righty gave up three runs on seven hits and one walk, while striking out three.

Following a pair of shutout innings from Sinclair to start the game, the Husker offense got their senior starter some support with a pair of runs in the bottom of the second. Blake Headley led off the frame with a stand-up triple and quickly scored the game’s first run when Ben Miller followed with a double. Tanner Lubach then moved Miller to third with a sacrifice bunt that immediately paid off with a RBI single from Austin Christensen that gave the Huskers a 2-0 lead.

Nebraska pushed its lead to 3-0 in the third when Reveles roped a two-out double and scored on a RBI single by Ryan Boldt

After hanging zeroes on the board through the first three innings, Sinclair ran into trouble in the fourth when he gave up five runs on five hits and a walk. The five runs tied a then-career high for Sinclair, who gave up five runs in an entire game just three times last season.

Sinclair responded with a shutout fifth, but saw his day come to an end in the sixth when he issued consecutive walks to start the inning. Freshman Garett King took the mound and promptly loaded the bases with a HBP before walking in a run with walk. King got out of the jam with a ground ball, that scored a run, and a double play, but not before BYU added two runs without getting a hit to take a 7-3 lead.

BYU pushed its lead to 8-3 in the seventh on a pair of singles and a sacrifice fly.

After notching six hits over the first four innings, the Huskers managed just three hits over the final five innings.

Game two of today’s doubleheader is scheduled to start at 4:25 p.m. (CT). Kyle Kubat is scheduled to start for the Huskers.

MLB Makes Small Pace of Game Changes, Passes on Bigger Steps

mlb bigNEW YORK (AP) — Major League Baseball is making some changes to speed up the length of games but it won’t implement some of the more radical proposals to make games shorter.

The league and the players’ union announced an agreement Friday to enforce the rule requiring a hitter to keep at least one foot in the batter’s box in most cases. MLB also will post stadium clocks timing pitching changes and between-inning breaks.

MLB did not institute many of the ideas experimented with during the Arizona Fall League, such as a 20-second clock between pitches, a limitation of pitcher’s mound conferences involving catchers and managers, and no-pitch intentional walks.

Penalties for violating the new rules start May 1 and will involve only fines. In the AFL, strikes and balls were called against violators.

Huskers Rally in Ninth for 6-3 Win

husker baseballPeoria, Ariz. – After getting into a 3-0 deficit in the first inning to the BYU Cougars, the Nebraska baseball team fought back and tied the game 3-3 in the sixth and Blake Headley delivered a three-RBI double in the top of the ninth with two outs that gave the Huskers their first lead of the game. Nebraska’s pitching staff held the Cougars scoreless over the game’s final eight innings, including a shutout bottom of the ninth by Josh Roeder, as the Huskers posted a 6-3 victory in the opening game of a four-game series with the Cougars.

Headley made the most of his lone hit on the afternoon, while Ryan Boldt led the Huskers with a 3-for-4 performance. Jeff Chesnut picked up the win and Roeder earned his second save of the season, as four Husker relievers combined to throw 4.0 innings of shutout relief.

BYU’s Mason Marshall retired the first two Huskers he faced in the ninth before Austin Darby started a two-out rally with a single that was followed by a single from Steven Reveles. BYU turned the ball over to Michael Rucker to face Boldt, and the sophomore never got a chance to pick up his fourth hit of the day as BYU intentionally walked him after a wild pitch by Rucker put two Huskers in scoring position. With the bases loaded and two outs, Headley lined the first pitch he saw from Rucker into the left-center field gap to clear the bases and put the Huskers in front 6-3.

Roeder took the mound in the ninth and retired the first two batters he faced before BYU got back-to-back singles that brought the tying run to the plate in clean-up hitter Dillon Robinson. Roeder dug in and retired Robinson 6-3 for his 20th career save.

Neither starter factored into the decision, as both left with the game tied 3-3. Sophomore Derek Burkamper struggled early for the Huskers, but rallied and got stronger as the game went on. The right-hander gave the Huskers 5.0 inning in his second career start and sat down the final seven Cougars he faced. Kolton Mahoney tossed 6.0 innings for BYU, allowing three runs on seven hits and two walks, while striking out six.

The Cougars got after Burkamper, who was making his first start since February 16 of last year, with three runs on five hits in the first inning. Burkamper retired the first batter he faced, but then gave up four straight hits, including a two-RBI triple to Robinson that was followed by a RBI single by Dallen Reber.

The Huskers were in position to produce a big inning in the third when three straight singles from Austin Christensen, Jake Schleppenbach and Christian Cox loaded the bases with no out for the top of the lineup. Darby stepped to the plate for his second at bat of the game and hit into a 4-6-3 double play that did score a run, but it also put an end to NU’s momentum. Mahoney then retired Reveles, limiting the damage to just one run.

BYU then loaded the bases in the bottom of the third with one out and looked to break the game wide open, but Burkamper got a 5-3 double play off the bat Jarrett Jarvis that ended the inning and kept BYU’s lead at 3-1.

Burkamper retired the Cougars in order in both the fourth and fifth to keep Nebraska in range, and NU’s offense came through with a pair of runs in the sixth to even the game at 3-3. After a wild pitch put Boldt and Headley in scoring position with one down, Tanner Lubach hit a slow roller to second base where Tanner Chauncey tried to cut Boldt down at home, but the NU centerfielder easily scored to cut BYU’s lead to one run. Christensen then nearly gave NU a 5-3 lead with a deep blast to right field, but the Eric Urry made the catch at the warning track and Headley scored on the sacrifice fly to tie the game. The Huskers later had Lubach at third base with two outs, but Mahoney struck out Cox to end the inning.

Nebraska’s bullpen kept doing its job and Nebraska’s offense finally broke through in the ninth to complete the comeback.

The Huskers and Cougars continue their series tomorrow with a doubleheader that is scheduled to start at 1 p.m. (CT). Chance Sinclair is set to start game one and Kyle Kubat is scheduled to start game two for the Huskers.

Eric Hosmer, Royals Agree to $13.9 Million, 2-Year Contract

Eric Hosmer
Eric Hosmer

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — First baseman Eric Hosmer and the Kansas City Royals avoided arbitration by agreeing to a $13.9 million, two-year contract.

Hosmer gets $5.65 million this year under Wednesday’s agreement and $8.25 million in 2016.

The 25-year-old hit .270 for the AL champions with 35 doubles, nine homers and 58 RBIs. He won his second straight Gold Glove.

He made $3.6 million last year and had asked for $6.7 million when the sides exchanged proposed arbitration salaries last month. The Royals had offered $4.6 million.

Kansas City has not gone to a hearing since Dayton Moore became general manager in 2006.

Rockies beat Catcher Wilin Rosario in Salary Arbitration

Wilin Rosario
Wilin Rosario

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — The Colorado Rockies have defeated catcher Wilin Rosario in salary arbitration.

Rosario was given a $2.8 million salary instead of his $3.3 million request on Wednesday by Elizabeth Neumeier, Phillip LaPorte and James Oldham, who heard the case a day earlier.

Rosario, who turns 26 on Feb. 23, hit .267 with 13 homers and 54 RBIs last year, down from .292 with 21 homers and 79 RBIs in 2013. He made $502,000 last year.

Teams lead players 6-3, the most hearings since teams went 8-6 in 2001.

Catcher Wilin Rosario, Rockies go to Salary Arbitration

Wilin Rosario
Wilin Rosario

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Catcher Wilin Rosario and the Colorado Rockies have argued their cases in baseball’s ninth salary arbitration hearing of the year, the most since 2001.

Rosario asked Elizabeth Neumeier, Phillip LaPorte and James Oldham for a raise to $3.3 million, and Colorado argued during Tuesday’s session that he should be paid $2.8 million.

A decision is expected Wednesday.

Rosario, who turns 26 on Feb. 23, hit .267 with 13 homers and 54 RBIs last year, down from .292 with 21 homers and 79 RBIs in 2013. He made $502,000 last year.

Teams lead players 5-3, and six cases remain scheduled for this week. These are the most hearings since teams were 8-6 in 2001.

Huskers Open Four-Game Series with BYU on Thursday

husker baseballAfter starting the 2015 campaign with a 2-0 win at UNLV, the Huskers then dropped the finale two games of the series. Nebraska will now look to get back to a winning record with four games against the BYU Cougars (0-4, 0-0 WCC) in Peoria, Ariz., at the Peoria Sports Complex, the Spring Training home of the San Diego Padres and Seattle Mariners.

The Cougars are coming off an 0-4 trip to then No. 16 UC Santa Barbara, which saw them score just two runs during the first three games of the series, before they dropped a close one in the finale, 5-4.

The Huskers and Cougars have met just four times, with the all-time series tied at 2-2, and every game of the series has been played on a neutral field. The first meeting between the two teams came in 1980, a 19-6 win for the Cougars. The Huskers got revenege later that season with a 12-0 victory in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament, as well as a 12-4 win in the elimination round. The teams last met in 1986, with the Cougars winning 12-11.

The Huskers and Cougars open their four-game series on Thursday, Feb. 19 at 2:05 p.m. (CT) and will then play a doubleheader on Friday at 1:05 p.m. The series is scheduled to wrap up on Saturday at 1:05 p.m.

With four games this weekend Nebraska will expand its rotation by one spot. Derek Burkampers is schedule to start the series opener on Thursday, it will be the sophomore’s first appearance of 2015 and his second career start. Chance Sinclair (1-0) and Kyle Kubat (0-0) are scheduled to start in the doubleheader on Friday, while Max Knutson (0-1) will start the finale for the second straight week.

Thursday, Feb. 192:05 p.m. (CT)
Probable Starters: RHP Burkamper (0-0) vs. RHP Mahoney (01-)
TV: None
Stream: Free Radio (Huskers.com) | Video Stream (None)
Radio: Husker Sports Network

Friday, Feb. 201:05 p.m. (CT) (Doubleheader)
Probable Starters Game 1: RHP Sinclair (1-0) vs. RHP Barker (0-1)
Probable Starters Game 2: LHP Kubat (0-0) vs. RHP Kinser (0-0)
TV: None
Stream: Free Radio (Huskers.com) | Video Stream (None)
Radio: Husker Sports Network

Saturday, Feb. 211:05 p.m. (CT)
Probable Starters: LHP Knutson (0-1) vs. RHP Corless (0-1)
TV: None
Stream: Free Radio (Huskers.com) | Video Stream (None)
Radio: Husker Sports Network

Signup to Play American Legion Baseball is Next Month

first-nationalsThe North Platte First Nationals American Legion baseball team will have signups next month.

Signups will be at The Sports Shoppe at 1320 South Cottonwood Street in North Platte. The signups will last two days, Tuesday, March 10 and Wednesday, March 11 from 5:00 to 7:00 pm.

American Legion baseball is open to players born between January 1, 1996 and December 31, 2002.

The First Nationals Seniors team finished with a record of 31-18 last year, while the Juniors finished with a 29-13 record and won the A-7 District championship.

 

Huskers Drop Series Finale, 3-0

husker baseballLas Vegas, Nev. – After posting a 2-0 shutout win on Friday night, the Nebraska baseball team dropped the final two games of its series with UNLV, including a 3-0 loss in the finale on Sunday. Nebraska had the tying or go-ahead run at the plate in both the eighth and ninth innings, but couldn’t get the hit it needed.

Nebraska had the bases loaded with two outs in the ninth, but Brayden Torres closed out the win when he got freshman Scott Schreiber to fly out.

D.J. Myers was stellar in his UNLV debut, as the junior college transfer gave up just three hits and one walk over 7.2 innings, while striking out five. A pair of Rebel relievers finished out the shutout, with Torres picking up the save.

For the Huskers, sophomore Max Knutson struggled in his first career start, lasting just 2.0 innings. Three NU relievers stepped up and kept Nebraska in the game by giving up only one run over 6.0 innings of work, but the Husker offense was never able to find a rhythm.

After Knutson retired the Rebels in order to start the game, he issues a leadoff walk in the second and then gave up a double to Edgar Montes. Nick Rodriguez did his job with an RBI groundout that gave the Rebels a 1-0 lead. Payton Squier then lifted a shallow fly ball into left field and Christian Cox made a spectacular diving catch for the out, but Montes was able to tag up and race home to give UNLV a 2-0 lead.

Knutson got into trouble again in the third when he issued back-to-back walks to start the inning, which forced Head Coach Darin Erstad to turn the ball over to the bullpen. Junior Jeff Chesnut stepped into a pressure situation and calmed the waters for the Huskers. Chesnut kept the Rebels from adding to their lead with three straight outs, including a great play from Blake Headley on a groundball where the NU third baseman cut Joey Swanner down at the plate.

Nebraska didn’t create its first scoring opportunity until the fourth when Ryan Boldt broke up Myers no hitter with a one-out single to center field. Boldt was then in scoring position following a groundout, but was stranded there when Myers struck out Tanner Lubach.

The Rebels caught a break in the seventh when Rodriguez lifted a low line drive to center field that looked to be caught by Boldt, but he lost the ball in the sun, resulting in a triple. Squier followed with an RBI double that pushed UNLV’s lead to 3-0.

The Huskers had the tying run at the plate in Austin Darby in the eighth following a pair of two-out walks, but Hartman shutdown the situation with strikeout looking.

Blake Headley got a rally going with a two-out single in the ninth that was followed by consecutive walks to load the bases. Torres came in and got the final out to end the game.

The Huskers will head back to Lincoln for a few days before returning to the Southwest on Wednesday with a trip to Peoria, Ariz. The Huskers open a four-game series against BYU on Thursday at the Peoria Sports Complex, the Spring Training home of the San Diego Padres and Seattle Mariners.

The Huskers and Cougars open the series on Thursday at 2:05 p.m. (CT), then play a doubleheader that starts at 1:05 p.m. on Friday before wrapping up the series on Saturday at 1:05 p.m.

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