Tempe, AZ—The UC Riverside Baseball Team split its season-opening double header with Nebraska Friday, picking up a 4-3 win in Game One, and dropping a 5-4 decision in the night cap.
Freshman Connor Cannon provided most of the offense for the Highlanders in the first game of the twin bill, blasting a three-run home run in just the second at bat of his collegiate career.
Steven Mercado II reached on a throwing error by Cornhuskers' first baseman Ben Miller with one out in the top of the fourth. Colby Schultz singled to left moving Mercado II to second, and following a Cody Worden pop out to right, Mark Contreras drove home the first run of the game with a single up the middle. Cannon followed with a three-run blast over the left field wall to give the Highlanders a four-run cushion.
Ricky Delgado got the start for the UCR, and had a no-hitter going through four-and-a-third innings. Luis Alvarado broke up the no-no with a one-out double down the right field line in the Nebraska half of the fifth. After striking out Ben Klenke, Delgado walked Angelo Altavilla and gave up a single to center off the bat of Jake Meyers. Alvarado scored on the play, and UC Riverside Head Coach Troy Percival lifted Delgado in favor of Alex Fagalde.
Fagalde (1-0) gave up a single through the right side to Scott Schreiber which brought home two more runs, pulling the Huskers to within one, 4-3. The senior right hander allowed just one hit the rest of the way to close out the win.
Matt Waldron (0-1) pitched seven innings of six-hit ball for Nebraska, striking out three. All four of the runs he allowed were unearned.
GAME TWO
The Highlanders jumped out on top early in the second half of the double header as well, and once again, Cannon was in the middle of the action. Contreras singled through the left side with oe out in the bottom of the fourth, and Cannon followed with a base knock in nearly the same location to put runners at the corners. Cade Petres singled through the right side scoring Contreras, and Aaron Cisneros loaded the bases with a single to right.
Yeager Taylor's single to left put the UC Riverside up 2-0, which ended Nebraska pitcher Paul Tillotson's day. Jake McSteen (1-0) came on in relief, and he shut down the Highlanders over the next two and two-third innings striking out three, without allowing a hit or a walk.
The Cornhuskers took the lead in the top of the fifth courtesy of a two out-rally in which Nebraska had four straight batters reach base. Meyers drove in a pair of runs with double to right center, and Schreiber's single to lef put the Huskers on top.
All three Nebraska runs were scored off of Highlanders' starter Ryan Lillie (0-1). Johnny Breidenthal took over for Lillie in the top of the sixth, and tossed two scoreless innings of relief. WHOM Martinez relieved Breidenthal in the Cornhuskers half of the eighth, but Nebraska touched him for two hits and a walk in the inning, increasing their lead to 5-2.
The Highlanders scored two runs in the bottom of the eighth, but stranded the tying run at third. Despite having three runners reach base in the bottom of the ninth, UC Riverside could not plate the tying run.
Nebraska and the Highlanders play game three of their four-game series on Saturday, February 18 beginning at 11 am PT.
