OMAHA, Neb. — Chase Diggins hit a grounder into right field for a game-winning single in the bottom of the 11th inning as Omaha Baseball rallied for a 12-11 win over Northern Colorado on a hot Saturday at Tal Anderson Field.
Edoardo Cornelli tripled down the left-field line with one out in the at-bat prior to Diggins. Diggins then went the opposite way for the game-winner between first and second base.
"I wanted to hit something hard to the outfield. I wasn't able to do that, but I was able to find a hole," Diggins said.
Omaha erased deficits three times Saturday. The Mavericks were down 11-10 in the 10th when Diggins scored from second base on a ground ball to shortstop. Head coach
Evan Porter gave Diggins credit for creating that run, and Diggins said he would rather be aggressive than timid on the basepaths.
Omaha (8-12, 4-1 Summit) evened the series after Northern Colorado won the opener 11-4 Friday. The Bears grabbed a 4-0 lead in the second inning Saturday before Omaha got back in the game.
"Yesterday was a gut check as far as once things start spiraling, it's really hard to stop," Porter said.
"Today was about finding a way to win, showing character."
The Mavericks grabbed the lead with a four-run rally in the fifth.
Drew Borner started the inning by being hit by a pitch. After Cornelli's bunt single,
Henry Zipay singled to left to score Borner. On the next pitch,
Jackson Trout hit a drive that cleared the left-center fence for a three-run home run and a 5-4 lead.
Then the teams traded five-run sixth innings.
After Northern Colorado took a 9-5 lead in the top half, Cornelli led off the bottom of the sixth with a long home run to right. A Zipay ground-rule RBI double made it 9-7, then
Tyler Bishop launched a three-run home run that cleared the left-field bullpen.
Northern Colorado tied it 10-10 when Mason Griffin led off the eighth with a home run to right. Omaha closer
Nate Moquin, who entered the game at the start of the seventh inning, retired 10 of the first 11 batters he faced before UNC's Sam Pease tripled and Griffin doubled to bring home the go-ahead run with one out in the 10th.
Omaha responded in the bottom of the 10th. Diggins led off with an infield single and was sacrificed to second. After Trout was intentionally walked, Bishop hit a grounder to shortstop with both runners on the move. Diggins was able to score the tying run from second base on the play. But the game continued as Omaha left the bases loaded in the 10th.
After
Isaak Crittenden threw a 1-2-3 top of the 11th, Cornelli looped a drive down the left-field line that went for a triple. That set up Diggins' game-winner.
Every Maverick starter had at least one hit. Diggins, Cornelli, Zipay and
Brody Sexton led the way with three hits each.
The teams will play the series finale at 2 p.m. CT Sunday.
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