Moyer, No. 19 Nebraska baseball drops a heartbreaker to No. 21 Oregon 7-6
No. 19 Nebraska baseball (26-8, 11-2) began its series out west in Eugene, Oregon, on Friday night with a 7-6 loss to No. 21 Oregon (25-9, 9-4).
Both teams dealt with a one-hour, 42-minute rain delay in the sixth inning, but the Ducks used it to their advantage. They came out in the bottom of the sixth and launched back-to-back home runs to take a five-run lead.
The Huskers halted the Oregon run with a four-run eighth inning that got NU within one. They could have tied the game, but Joshua Overbeek was ruled out at home after a review on a double-steal attempt.
Starter Ty Horn struggled to find a rhythm once again. He managed only four innings of work, walking four and striking out two. He left plenty over the plate but worked around jams and Ducks’ barrels to allow only two runs. He has now worked only 16 2/3 innings in his last four starts.
Mac Moyer brought the energy in his return to Eugene with a two-hit performance that included a first-inning home run. Dylan Carey launched his ninth long ball of the season in the eighth inning to highlight the four-run burst.
Here is an instant recap from the heartbreaker in the Pacific Northwest….
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Nebraska’s bats get to one the nation’s best early
The opening frames in Eugene were highlighted by Moyer’s return to the program where he spent four months during the 2024 season before being cut. Moyer led off the game with his 10th double of the season and eventually scored the game’s first run thanks to a Carey RBI single. For the junior college transfer, the hit marked a productive start against his former team at PK Park, setting the tone for the Huskers’ offense.
The Huskers’ lineup found early success against Will Sanford, who entered the contest ranked second in the nation in hits per nine innings. Despite Sanford consistently throwing 94-96 mph, the Big Red tallied five hits through the first three innings.
Horn navigated the first three innings without allowing a hit, though he struggled with command. Horn issued three walks and hit a batter, including a second inning where a wild pitch moved two Oregon runners into scoring position. However, the right-hander recorded two strikeouts in high-leverage counts to strand four Ducks runners to maintain the one-run lead.
The third inning ended abruptly due to a defensive gem and an Oregon baserunning error. After Horn issued a leadoff walk, Brayden Jaksa lined out to Carey at shortstop, who doubled off Jax Gimenez to clear the bases. The Huskers held a 1-0 lead after three frames.
The bullpen falters before and after a rain delay
Sanford took control of the middle frames, racking up a career-high 12 strikeouts and silencing the Big Red bats. After the Huskers found early success, Sanford adjusted his approach, retiring the side in order in the fourth and limiting NU to just two hits over the next three innings.
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The game’s evened again in the fifth when Moyer launched a game-tying solo home run against his former team. The blast triggered a heated exchange at home plate, between players and coaches. However, the Ducks answered immediately in the bottom half as Drew Smith hit a two-run homer off Tucker Timmerman, who entered for Horn, to reclaim a 4-2 lead.
The momentum stayed with the Ducks despite a defensive gem from Jett Buck, who threw out a runner at the plate to end the fifth. Following a one-hour and 42-minute rain delay in the sixth, the Ducks’ power surge intensified. Facing reliever Braxton Stewart, Gimenez doubled before Jaksa and Ryan Cooney connected for back-to-back home runs.
Despite a late rally, NU falls in the ninth
As rain began to pour again at PK Park, the seventh inning transitioned into a rapid defensive stalemate. The decision to use Stewart and Colin Nowaczyk out of the bullpen suggested head coach Will Bolt and the coaching staff might be shifting their focus toward preserving high-leverage arms for the remainder of the series. Despite the weather and the deficit, Nowaczyk managed a scoreless frame for NU, punctuated by Jeter Worthley throwing out a runner at second to end the inning.
The Huskers refused to go quietly in the eighth, exploding for four runs to pull within one. Carey ignited the rally with a two-run home run, followed by a Buck RBI single and a Rhett Stokes groundout that cut the Oregon lead to 7-6. However, the comeback effort was stalled by a highly controversial call at the plate. After a video review showing Overbeek sliding in safe on a double-steal attempt, the out call was upheld upon review. The ruling silenced a massive Big Red surge, leaving NU with just three outs to complete the rally.
Kevin Mannell navigated a high-wire act in the bottom of the eighth, escaping a bases-loaded jam to keep Nebraska within a single run. Despite issuing two walks and hitting a batter to load the bases, Mannell came up with his biggest pitch of the night to strike out Drew Smith and strand three Ducks.
The Huskers gave it their all in the ninth as Worthley reached on an infield single. He advanced to second on an E5 after a throw went wild following a Case Sanderson line out. After getting runners to second and third, Buck gave the ball a ride, but it ended up in the glove of the center fielder to end the game.
