After having gone the whole season without losing a series, Nebraska (20-10) went winless on the weekend.
Rutgers (17-13), fresh off of a series win over Michigan, swept the Huskers at Haymarket Park. It is the first time being swept at home for Nebraska since Missouri did it in 2009. This is just the fourth time Nebraska has been swept in the Big Ten era.
“We gotta hit the reset button,” coach Will Bolt said on the Husker Sports Network after Sunday’s loss. “The rallying cry should be that we need to get back to being the hardworking, butt kicking team that we’ve been all year long.”
It looked like Nebraska would run away with another Friday game through the first seven innings, where the Huskers were up 3-2 after seven innings. That’s when the wheels came off.
The bullpen, which would be an issue all weekend, gave up four runs in the eighth inning and another three in the ninth, as Rutgers ran away with the 9-4 victory.
Cade Povich had another solid outing as the starter, going 5.0 innings and giving up just the two runs. The efforts after from Jake Bunz, Cam Wynne, and Max Schreiber combined for 3.1 innings and seven runs, including five earned.
On offense, Nebraska managed just four hits on the day, including two from Jaxon Hallmark.
The inefficient offense and bullpen were issues all weekend.
Game two saw Nebraska once again with a lead late into the game, up 5-1 after six innings. That’s when Chance Hroch left the game and turned it over to the bullpen.
Braxton Bragg gave up a walk and two home runs in his 0.1 innings of work. Spencer Schwellenbach pitched the final 2.2 innings, giving up two more runs.
The Husker offense, meanwhile, went scoreless over the final five innings. On the day, Nebraska notched nine hits but left 13 runners on base.
Luke Roskam (3-for-5) and Joe Acker (2-for-3) had the best day at the plate for Big Red, each tacking on an RBI while combining to score three of the team’s five runs.
Sunday was all Scarlet Knights, with no comeback necessary.
Shay Schanaman tossed a servicable 6.0 innings, giving up four runs, all earned, while striking out eight. It was the offense that never showed up.
Rutgers’s starter Brent Teller pitched 7.0 scoreless innings of two-hit ball, striking out eight. His bullpen of Kyle Muller and Dale Stanavich also gave up no runs while allowing just one more hit.
The Scarlet Knights shutout the Huskers for a 6-0 win in game three of the series.
The sweep is the first time Nebraska has been swept at Haymarket Park since 2009 when Missouri did it. The Huskers have been swept just four times in the Big Ten era.
Nebraska and Rutgers will see each other again next weekend as part of a pod that includes Indiana. Each team will play the others twice in Piscataway, New Jersey.