May 2, 2014
13 Nebraska (30-17, 11-5 B1G) | Lincoln, Neb. • Haymarket Park • Attendance: 3,546 | 3 Penn State (17-24, 5-10 B1G) |
LINCOLN, Neb.; May 2, 2014 - The Penn State Nittany Lions (17-24, 5-10 Big Ten) dropped the series opener in Lincoln, falling to Nebraska (30-17, 11-5 Big Ten) by a final of 13-3. The Cornhuskers pulled away late in the game, scoring eight unanswered runs between the sixth and eighth inning to secure the victory.
Sophomore designated hitter Greg Guers (Langhorne, Pa.) hit his first home run in his Penn State career, blasting a two-run shot over the right field wall. Guers becomes just the third Nittany Lion to hit a home run this season, joining James Coates (Girard, Ohio) and J.J. White (Landsowne, Va.). The homer is Guers' fifth of his collegiate career.
Freshman shortstop Jim Haley (Upper Darby, Pa.) was responsible for Penn State's other run, driving a double to the wall in the right-center gap. Haley finished the game 1-for-4 with a run scored and a run batted in.
After a scoreless first inning of play, Nebraska started Friday's scoring with a run in the bottom of the second to take an early 1-0 advantage. The Huskers' Ben Miller singled up the middle to score Steven Reveles to plate the opening run.
One inning later Nebraska tacked on four more runs to open up a five-run lead. The Cornhuskers received two two-run singles from Pat Kelly and Blake Headley to do the damage offensively.
The Nittany Lion offense came alive in the top of the fourth, scoring three runs in the frame to draw within two runs of the hosts. Haley produced the first run with a double to the gap in right center to score Taylor Skerpon. One batter later, Guers stepped up and belted a line drive, two-run homer over the right field wall to make the score 5-3.
Neither team scored in the fifth and then the Huskers' Austin Darby provided the hosts with a two-out, RBI double through the right side of the infield to push their lead back up to three runs at 6-3.
Nebraska broke the game wide open in the bottom of the seventh. The hosts pushed five runs across the plate to increase their lead to eight runs at 11-3. The Cornhuskers used six hits, all singles, to power their big offensive inning.
The two teams will be back at Haymarket Park tomorrow for game two of the three-game series on Saturday. First pitch is scheduled for 3:05 p.m. ET.