OMAHA, Neb. — When Nebraska center fielder Mac Moyer reached first base on a fielder’s choice in the bottom of the eighth, it was the first time he had safely made it aboard all game. Standing there at first, he completed the trend the other Cornhuskers had set before — he was the last remaining Nebraska runner who hadn’t reached base.
For Michigan, timely hitting is key. A well-placed RBI single, a sacrifice fly or stolen base mean all the difference for the margins between victory and defeat for the Wolverines. But in a tight game, the Cornhuskers ensured that scoring was always in their cards through 12 total hits, keeping the pressure always mounted on Michigan.
“They got a couple of big two-out hits, which ended up being the difference,” Wolverines coach Tracy Smith said. “… They played hard, this was a good baseball game. They got the big hits.”
Nebraska secured a hit in seven different innings — powered by its entire lineup, the most impressive of which was first baseman Case Sanderson. While not quite hitting for the cycle, he went 3-for-4 with everything but a homer, ensuring he was a dominant presence at the plate in a third of the frames Michigan played. With the looming force in the batter’s box always pressing against them, the Wolverines were constantly on the hunt offensively.
Sanderson’s most potent play came in the bottom of the first. After two singles put a runner in scoring position for the Cornhuskers, he shot a triple down the right field line to score both and edge Nebraska ahead. He would go on to swat a leadoff double straight through center field in the fourth inning, and another hit sent him home to give him a run as well.
While Sanderson had an impressive game, Cornhuskers designated hitter Jeter Worthley mirrored his efforts. Worthley went 3-for-4 as well — and while he lacked in the slugging department, he embodied the Wolverines’ mantra of timely hitting, scoring two runs against them by getting on-base in the right moments.
Michigan was not lacking in the pitching department either, as redshirt freshman right-hander Erik Puodziunas and senior right-hander Kurt Barr combined for a total of 11 strikeouts. But the Wolverines’ were set back by errors in the field, which played in tandem with Nebraska hitting to keep Cornhuskers deep in the diamond in many scenarios, primed to score off any mistakes on the mound.
“I was just trying to keep breaking balls low. I think their couple hits, especially the one where they took the lead, it’s all right,” Barr said. “Poke the barrel at it, that happens. It’s baseball.”
The small ball Michigan preaches requires stout pitching, planned pinch-hitting and carefully crafted at-bats. If even one thing goes wrong in the process, any potential RBI vanishes away. But the game Nebraska played didn’t have that problem. While the Wolverines had to strategize their attacks, the Cornhuskers were never short of the opportunities Michigan meticulously works for.
