Illinois 6, Nebraska 5
Tied in the ninth inning for the second straight day, Nebraska (23-16, 12-6 Big Ten) found itself on the wrong end this time in a 6-5 loss to Illinois at Hawks Field on Sunday afternoon.
The Fighting Illini (28-14, 8-7 Big Ten) had runners on first and second with no outs in the top of the ninth after a base hit and error on a fielder’s choice. NU recorded back-to-back outs before Kellen Sarver’s go-ahead double drove in two runs to give Illinois a 6-4 lead.
Looking to respond and walk-off for the second consecutive day, NU put two runners on via walks with two outs before Cam Chick’s single through the right side scored one run to trim the deficit to 6-5. However, the game ended on a groundout to the shortstop in the subsequent at-bat.
Senior right-hander Reece Eddins, making his eighth start of the season, threw 4.1 innings and allowed three runs. Nebraska saw relief appearances from Shay Schanaman (1.2 innings), Mike Waldron (1.0) and Colby Gomes (2.0).
Nebraska out-hit Illinois by a 9-8 margin, with Mojo Hagge leading the offense with a 3-for-4 showing. Joe Acker, Saturday’s walk-off hero, and Cam Chick also produced multi-hit efforts in Sunday’s loss.
After a scoreless first two innings for both teams, Illinois plated one run in the top of the third and two runs in the top of the fourth to build a 3-0 lead.
After a scoreless fifth, the Fighting Illini scored a run in the top of the sixth to extend its lead to 4-0 before NU responded with one run in the bottom of the sixth. Luke Roskam was hit-by-pitch in the leadoff spot and advanced to second on Acker’s base hit. They advanced to second and third on a wild pitch before the second out was recorded. Hagge singled to right field to drive in Roskam, but Acker was thrown out after rounding third on the play.
Nebraska added three runs in the bottom of the seventh to tie the score at 4-4. Pinch hitter Alex Henwood drew a leadoff walk before a flyout. Aaron Palensky also walked to put two runners on before a double steal. Roskam drew a walk to load the bases. Acker roped a two-run single to center field that drove in Henwood and Palensky. In the next at-bat, Chick laced an RBI single to tie the game before a pop-out ended the inning.
The Huskers return to action next weekend when they visit Evanston, Ill., for a three-game series at Northwestern.
Nebraska 4, Illinois 3
The Nebraska baseball team (23-15, 12-5 Big Ten) bounced back and tied the series with a 4-3 walk-off win over Illinois at Hawks Field on Saturday afternoon.
Tied 3-3 in the bottom of the ninth, Aaron Palensky was hit-by-pitch in the leadoff spot before advancing to second on a sacrifice bunt by Jaxon Hallmark. Cam Chick drew a walk to put two runners on with one out for the Big Red. Junior Joe Acker drove an RBI single through the left side to bring in Palensky for the winning run. It marked Nebraska’s first walk-off win since May 7, 2017 when the Huskers defeated Rutgers, 7-6.
Senior left-hander Nate Fisher, making his 10th start of the season, went 6.0 innings and allowed three runs over the first three innings before holding the Fighting Illini scoreless for the middle three innings. Robbie Palkert tossed 3.0 no-hit shutout innings en route to his third win of the season.
Illinois (27-14, 7-7 Big Ten) struck first with two runs in the opening frame. The Fighting Illini strung together three hits and left two runners on in the top of the first. Nebraska scored one run in the bottom of the second to cut the score to 2-1. Acker drew his first of three walks on the day before stealing second. Angelo Altavilla and Mojo Hagge each walked to load the bases before Colby Gomes’ sacrifice fly drove in one run.
Illinois responded in the top of the third when Zac Taylor hit a leadoff home run to center field to make the score 3-1. In the bottom of the fourth, the Huskers plated one run to trim the deficit to 3-2. Gomes blistered a one-out double and then later scored on Palensky’s RBI single.
NU tied the score at 3-3 in the bottom of the seventh. Hallmark and Cam Chick drew back-to-back walks to start the inning before Acker’s sacrifice bunt advanced them to second and third. Altavilla’s sacrifice fly brought in Hallmark.