The take-home from the game this afternoon, as well as last nights, is that Nebraska’s bullpen is not very deep and what can be an explosive offense is not at the level it needs to be for post-season play. Both Arizona State and Mississippi exploited these weaknesses, on top of the fact that Nebraska simply did not play good baseball this weekend.
That said, today’s game also demonstrated what made Nebraska baseball fans fall in love with this team this season. Will Bolt said after the game that this season was basically a microcosm of the season and the fact that their tenacity shown each and every game continued to the final out epitomizes what this team is all about. They didn’t give up and because of their faith and trust in each other, more often than not they came out on top.
Bringing a regional back to Haymarket Park has been a stated goal of Will Bolt since he arrived and there is no question that the fan-base was pumped up to see the Big Red go up against top teams on a national stage. But, as the score shows today, the Cornhuskers were not up to the challenge.
In the early going, Sun Devil second baseman Nu’u Contrades made an early bid for Player of the Game. With one out in the bottom of the first, he launched a huge homerun to right-centerfield for the games first run. He followed that up with a web-gem play in the field, charging hard and bare-handing a ground ball by Case Sanderson and then whipping an almost impossible throw to get him out at first base.
With one swing of his bat leading off the top of the third inning, Joshua Overbeek tied the game up with a solo dinger the opposite way. ASU pitcher Colby Guy didn’t allow any momentum to build as he then struck out Drew Grego, got Rhett Stokes to ground out, and then struck out Mac Moyer. However, it was a new ball game at 1-1, though that would not last very long.
Gavin Blachowicz had pitched well the first couple of innings, with the exception of the ball he left over the plate that Contrades sent out of the park, but things did not go well in the bottom of the third. The Sun devils put up four more runs, three of them after what should have been an inning-ending double play that blew up on an errant throw by Stokes to Carey. The big blow came on a two-run homer by Dominic Longo. Blachowicz has shown a propensity to serve up homeruns this season and one had to wonder how that would work out against a team noted for knocking the ball out of the park. After three innings, ASU held a 5-1 lead.
After Nebraska failed to muster any offense in the top of the fourth, Cooper Katskee came in to relieve Blachowicz. That presents an interesting question should Nebraska turn this around, who will start the game tonight? That’s the last thing anyone in the third base dugout is worried about at this time is to get there, they have to win this one.
It got spicey in this inning when with one out, Landon Hairston, known as Harry Bonds, struck out looking. When he heard the umpire ring him up, he gave a bat flip of at least four revolutions straight up into the air. The crowd went nuts and after consultation, he was ejected from the game. Things got amped up a few minutes later when Will Bolt pointed out that Hairston had not left the dugout, which resulted in him taking the walk of shame down the third baseline to the clubhouse.
After the excitement, and an opportunity for Nebraska fans to loudly share their thoughts with Mr. Hairston the teams got back to the game. The Cornhuskers were not able to make anything of an Overbeek single. In the bottom half, Arizona State extended their lead by a run on a solo homerun by Dominic Smaldino. Sun Devils up 6-1.
It got really ugly for Nebraska in the bottom of the sixth as ASU batted around and scored five runs. Katskee got a quick out, but then gave up a single and a double, resulting in Coach Childress taking a walk to the mound and pulling him for Colin Nowaczyk. After intentionally walking Contrades, he gave up a run-scoring single to Dean Toigo and a grand slam homerun to Smaldino, his second round-tripper of the game. The Big Red had a huge mountain to climb, down 11-1.
Bolt’s Boys found life in the top of the seventh inning, and wouldn’t you know, it was Trey/Larry Fikes who got it rolling. The catcher slapped a double just inside the chalk down the first baseline for a double. Overbeek then worked a walk. Max Buettenback came on to pinch-hit and put a charge in one that was caught on the warning track in leftfield. Up came Stokes, who nubbed a dribbler off his bat down toward third base. It was fielded by pitcher Josh Butler, who sailed it over the first baseman’s head. In came Fikes with Nebraska’s second run.
The top of the order grabbed this momentum as Moyer looped a double into no-man’s land behind third base to score Overbeek and Stokes. Then Worthley came up and ripped a double of his own to score Moyer. Dylan Carey grabbed the baton and singled to move Worthley to third before Sanderson hit one deep to centerfield that was caught near the warning track, but scored Worthley. Nebraska had climbed back into it a bit and were now down 11-6.
Neither team got anything going in the eighth inning and Nebraska came up with their season on the line in the top of the ninth facing Taylor Penn. Rhett Stokes struck out and Mac Moyer worked a walk. Jeter Worthley then looped a single between a charging centerfielder and a retreating second baseman. One out and two runners on base.
Dylan Carey ripped a single to leftfield that scored Moyer and led to Derek Schaefer coming into pitch for Penn. Case Sanderson got hit by a pitch to load the bases and that brought up Nebraska’s hottest hitter, Jett Buck. He flew out to rightfield, but Worthley scored and Carey moved to third base. Up came Trey Fikes, the potential tying run. He ripped a line-drive that went right at the Sun Devil right fielder to end the game and end Nebraska’s season.
The last game of any season is always tough for a multitude of reasons. This will be the last time fans see Dylan Carey and Joshua Overbeek play at Haymarket Park, and they’ve also most likely seen the last of Carson Jasa in a Nebraska uniform. Others who have made a mark on the program will be gone as well, and a few fan favorites, like Jalen Worthley and Caleb Clark. Over the course of the summer, the coaching staff will be on the road evaluating future talent and, in the fall, another twenty-plus players will join the program. It will most definitely be a different team going forward, but it is safe to say that this team has left a positive mark on the program.
Coach Bolt stressed after the game that this was truly a player led team, in large part due to the leadership from Dylan Carey, Joshua Overbeek, and other senior leaders. He believes that this has been built strong enough that it will carry on as new players join the program and new leaders emerge. Fall practice is just four months away!
Notes:
- My partner at Corn Nation, Aaron Rastovski, has said many times that Jeter Worthley is the luckiest hitter he’s seen. Today reinforces that observation as the balls he hits just seem to find a crack here or a space there to land. Then again, he’s fearless at the plate for a young hitter and will give Nebraska fans a lot to cheer about in the future.
- Having not given much attention this season to walk-up songs and stadium music, it is worth giving a shout-out to ASU’s Dominic Longo for using the Michael Buble version of Feeling Good. Not a genre of music used very often for this purpose.
- From the I Haven’t Seen That Before File, it is not unusual at all to see a player injured on the field, and I’ve seen some players on television get wobbly from extreme heat. However, I’ve never seen a pitcher walk to the back of the mound after the second out of the inning and throw up . . . violently. Three times! Apparently, Gavin Blachowicz has told reporters that he always throws up before games. Well, this time it happened a little later. And, he struck out the next guy for his first K of the game.
- During the press conference following the game, Arizona State coach Willie Bloomquist asked to make a point after the questions finished to praise the Nebraska fan base and express how great it was to play in this kind of atmosphere. He also noted that the accommodations were great and that everyone that they dealt with from Nebraska was first-class. Nebraska fans like to hear this, but it means a little more when it is not solicited.
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