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Blachowicz carries No. 20 Nebraska baseball to rubber-match shutout over Illinois

by: Bobby Schneider04/26/26bschneider33

No. 20 Nebraska baseball (33-11, 17-4) completed a 3-0 rubber-match shutout over Illinois (21-21, 9-12) on Sunday in Champaign.

Gavin Blachowicz (4-1, 2.63 ERA) posted one of his better quality starts of the season.

The sophomore righty tossed 6 1/3 shutout innings by pounding the strike zone off 80 pitches (53 strikes) behind an outstanding fielding performance. It marked Blachowicz’s longest outing since his 5 2/3 against Maine on March 14.

“Wow. (Blachowicz) had all his pitches working today,” head coach Will Bolt told the Huskers Radio Network postgame. “The fastball had an incredible finish to it. They really just had a hard time getting barrel to the fastball, and he was all over the strike zone.

“(Blachowicz) just did a fantastic job. That’s why baseball is such a beautiful game, isn’t it?”

After stranding eight runners through six innings, Jeter Worthley smacked the first-career homer of his young college career to make it 2-0 in the seventh. The rookie from Lincoln (Neb.) hit the only nuke all weekend.

Here is an instant recap from the Big Red rubber-match victory…

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Blachowicz deals

Unlike his 2 1/3 start last Sunday against USC, Blachowicz delivered a stellar performance behind pitching to contact. He retired 18 of the 25 Illinois batters with four strikeouts.

The 6-foot-4 Nebraska arm worked with ease to retire six of the first seven Fighting Illini.

In the third, the Olathe, Kansas, native yielded his first two hits of the game. However, Blachowicz stranded the two runners after recording his second strikeout. He had just 35 pitches (23 strikes) through three frames.

The same story carried to the fourth and fifth as Blachowicz worked back-to-back 1-2-3 frames off only 20 pitches. He retired nine consecutive batters after escaping his jam in the third.

But in the sixth, it appeared Illinois would wound the Husker starter after back-to-back singles. However, Blachowicz struck out the Illini’s 3-hole hitter before forcing a 5-4-3 double play to strand the runner on third base.

Nebraska can’t seize opportunities through six

After stranding two runners in the first, Nebraska put it together in the second frame to land the first punch.

Left fielder Jett Buck led off with an infield single before advancing to second base on a passed ball. Then, second basemen Rhett Stokes drilled Buck home with a two-out RBI double to put the Huskers up 1-0.

However, there was more to be desired as NU stranded eight baserunners through five, even with being 4-for-5 in lead-off situations.

In the top of the sixth, third baseman Joshua Overbeek reached on a full-count walk. But he got caught stealing, and the next two Huskers were sat down as another opportunity was squandered.

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Worthley provides spark, gritty Huskers finish strong

Jeter Worthley juiced an ice-cold Big Red offense in the top of the seventh with his dinger to left field. It marked the Lincoln East graduate’s first homer in a Husker uniform.

“I’m sure it felt great. I’ve been challenging him,” Bolt said of Worthley. “I put my finger on his chest protector, and about the thing inning… I said, ‘Hey, you are going to get the barrel on a fastball this game,’ because he’s been working hard to be able to swing right there on a day where we just couldn’t get the timely hit.”

With one down and two on base in the seventh, righty Ty Horn (SV: 1) took over for Blachowicz and escaped the jam untouched.

The former Friday starter worked a clean 1-2-3 eighth, which included a savvy 1u and strikeout.

Mac Moyer smacked a one-out triple in the top of the ninth. Moments later, the junior center fielder scored NU’s third run off a wild pitch.

In the ninth, Horn secured the shutout with another 1-2-3 frame. The 6-foot-2 pitcher did not surrender a hit and retired all eight Fighting Illini in his 2 2/3 innings of relief.

“Ty gave them no hope,” Bolt said. “He just pounded the strike zone, and we handled the ball flawlessly today, defensively.”

Nebraska returns to the ball diamond at 6 p.m. CT on Tuesday to take on former Big 12 foe Kansas State. Watch on B1G+ or listen on the Huskers Radio Network.

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