No. 16 Nebraska baseball shut down by Kuzniewski, drops 2-1 decision at Ohio State
No. 16 Nebraska (34-12, 17-5 Big Ten) struggled to find its rhythm at the plate Friday night, dropping a 2-1 pitcher’s duel to Ohio State (22-21, 11-11) at Bill Davis Stadium.
Buckeye starter Gavin Kuzniewski was the story of the night. He bullied the Huskers’ lineup from the jump, carving through hitters with a four-pitch mix that left Nebraska guessing. The right-hander surrendered only four hits, keeping the NU offense on its heels for most of the evening.
The Huskers’ Carson Jasa, making the move to the Friday slot, had a different experience. After navigating some early traffic and a few shaky counts, Jasa found his groove. His velocity climbed as the sun went down, and his cutter became a genuine out-pitch in the middle innings. He finished with three strikeouts and three walks, keeping the Huskers within striking distance.
Here is an instant recap from the Big Ten series matchup in Columbus…
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Kuzniewski sharp early as Nebraska struggles to square him up
Through the first three innings in Columbus, Ohio State starter Gavin Kuzniewski set the tone early, working efficiently through the Huskers’ lineup with a sharp mix that kept the Huskers from finding much rhythm at the plate. The Buckeye right-hander struck out four of the first five hitters he faced, using a sharp curveball as his primary out pitch while also landing a slider and a steady 90 mph fastball to keep hitters off balance.
Kuzniewski’s ability to mix four different pitches early prevented NU from doing much damage on contact. The Huskers were mostly limited to routine outs and defensive at-bats, with little sustained pressure as the Ohio State starter stayed ahead in counts and avoided hard contact through the opening stretch.
Conditions also played into the early feel of the game, with a heavy wind blowing in and toward right field that knocked down balls in the air and kept the Huskers off the board.
Jasa matched him early with clean first and third innings but ran into trouble in the second as OSU scratched across a run with a sac fly after putting runners on through a walk and a pair of singles. Through three innings, OSU held a 1-0 lead.
Jasa settles in but the offense remains mute
Jasa gradually settled into a more effective rhythm, with his stuff ticking up as the outing progressed. After working through early contact, the right-hander found more life on his fastball and leaned increasingly on a cutter that became a true swing-and-miss pitch, giving him a sharper look the third time through the order.
The tempo of the game reflected the efficiency on both sides, as innings came and went at a rapid pace with neither lineup able to extend at-bats or build sustained pressure. Through five innings, the contest had moved along in just over an hour and fifteen minutes, a product both starters working efficiently.
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Another clean inning was on the horizon for NU but that again came undone by a key defensive miscue, as Joshua Overbeek was charged with a two-out error in a spot where Jasa needed the final out to escape unscathed. It marked another instance in which a clean defensive finish eluded the Huskers in a tight, low-scoring game like last week when Overbeek made an error with Cooper Katskee on the mound.
At the same time, Kuzniewski continued to neutralize one of the Big Ten’s top offenses, holding NU without a breakthrough through six innings. With a sharp mix and consistent command through six, he kept the Huskers largely off balance and prevented any real momentum from forming, as OSU carried a 2-0 lead into the late innings.
Horn deals but Nebraska can’t come back
Nebraska posed a threat for the the first time in a while. Jett Buck and Drew Grego both reached with a free pass to set the table. The Huskers could not break through despite a pinch-hit Will Jesske fly out to the wall to end the half inning.
Ty Horn came on in the bottom half and worked a clean 1-2-3 inning. Mac Moyer got the offense going in the eighth with a one-out single. That single made it 45 straight games that he has reached base. He is still chasing current Houston Astros’ center fielder Brice Matthews, whose record is in the 60s. Unfortunately for the Huskers, a fielders choice and ground out killed the threat.
Horn worked a beautiful, and much needed, cleaning with two looking strikeouts and groundout to give NU a chance in the ninth. The first two batters reached for NU in the ninth via walk which chased Kuzniewski from the game. They scored on a swining bunt which brought Dylan Carey across but the Buckeyes wiggled out to end it.
The Huskers and Buckeyes are back in action on Saturday at 6 p.m. CST. Gavin Blachowicz takes the mound for the first time on a Saturday this season on Big Ten Network.
