LINCOLN, Neb. - In their one and only game against their in-state rival this year, the Mavericks had the makings of a late comeback but could not go all the way as they were bested 11-5 by Nebraska.
Omaha drops to 3-16 on the season, while the Huskers win their fourth in a row to improve to 14-5.
Innings 1-3
Making his first appearance in 663 days,
Tyler Mattingley got the start today for Omaha, striking out the first batter he faced on three pitches. The Huskers, though, managed to take a 2-0 lead in the first on a one-out single from Cole Evans.
Harrison Kreiling finished off the inning with a pair of swinging strikeouts.
The Huskers would extend their lead to 3-0 in the second after a couple of wild pitches allowed Rhett Stokes to round the bases. Meanwhile, the Mavericks only picked up one hit through the first inning on a leadoff single to left from
Tyler Bishop in the second.
Innings 4-6
Nebraska saw its lead grow to 8-0 over the next three innings, plating two in the fourth and the fifth before getting their eighth run off a single that just barely stayed fair down the left field line.
For the Mavericks, Bishop got his second hit of the day in the top of the fourth after lining a double to left center, while the only other hit during this span came on a one-out single from Greise in the top of the sixth.
Innings 7-9
Finally, in the top of the seventh, Omaha began staging a late rally. With two outs,
Matt Goetzmann drew a walk to load up the bases for
Grant Sommers who was plunked by the first pitch he saw to force in a run. Then, Greise delivered the biggest hit of the day when he attacked the first pitch and sent one down the left field line for a bases-clearing double.
Carter Navin followed this up with a 1-2-3 bottom of the seventh to keep it a four-run game. In the eighth,
Tyler Palmer cut the Huskers lead to three when he made a break for third on a wild pitch and proceeded to make it all the way home as Nebraska's catcher sailed one past the third baseman.
This would be as close as the Mavericks would get, though, as the Huskers scored three more in the bottom of the eighth to go up by six and set the Mavericks down in order in the ninth to win it.
Inside the Box Score
Greise (2-for-4) and Bishop (2-for-4) accounted for four of Omaha's six hits today. Greise also led the team with three RBIs, setting a new season high.
Mavericks pitchers combined to strike out 11 Huskers today, with
Reed Scott leading the way with three.
On Deck
The Mavericks continue their road trip this week with a three-game Summit League series at Northern Colorado starting this Friday at 3 p.m.
