LINCOLN, Neb.—Pitching has been a problem for the Nebraska baseball team this season. Nothing new there.
But hitting also was a problem for the Cornhuskers on Tuesday night.
Three Creighton pitchers, including former Cornhusker Mike Nihsen, combined to shut out Nebraska 15-0 on four hits before 4,192 at Hawks Field. The victory was Creighton’s eighth in its last 10 games and gave the Bluejays a .500 record for the first time this season, at 15-15.
The loss was Nebraska’s sixth in a row and first by shutout since last season’s final game, an 8-0 loss against Oral Roberts in the NCAA Lincoln Regional.
The 15 runs equaled the most the Cornhuskers (16-15-1) have allowed at Hawks Field, which opened in 2002. Kansas State scored 15 against them in the first game of a Big 12 series four days ago.
“I feel very strongly about the fact that if we don’t pitch well, we’re not going to play well,” Nebraska coach Mike Anderson said. “That’s my biggest fear is that when you’re not pitching well, other aspects of the game … you start to press. And you’re seeing it from a hitting side. I think you’re seeing it from a defensive side. I still think this is a strong defensive team. I still think this is a strong offensive team. At this point it’s not, because we’re pressing because of our other aspects of the game.”
Nebraska pitchers allowed 14 hits and 11 walks.
“The game was tight until the last two innings, really,” Creighton coach Ed Servais said. “A lot of people are going to see that score and think it was like that from the get-go, but it really just got away from them the last two innings.”
The eighth inning characterized Nebraska’s pitching problems, although the outcome was long since decided. Three pitchers allowed eight runs on six walks, a balk, a hit batter, a wild pitch and three singles. Creighton sent 13 batters to the plate in the inning.
Nihsen, who pitched just 2 1-3 innings at Nebraska in 2007 before transferring to Creighton, was credited with the victory. Originally announced as the starter, the junior right-hander from Omaha relieved Greg Hellhake, who pitched the first inning before giving way.
Nihsen worked the next five innings, allowing three hits. Kirk Clark pitched the final three innings to earn his second save.
Vicente Carfaro led the Creighton offensive assault, 5-for-5 with five runs scored, three doubles, an RBI and a stolen base. He also started three double plays in the field.
“It’s been a while since a Creighton player had that kind of a game against Nebraska,” Servais said of the senior second baseman from Maracay, Venezuela.
The victory was Creighton’s most lopsided against Nebraska since April 1, 1992, when the Bluejays won at Lincoln 19-1. The shutout was Creighton’s first against the Cornhuskers since 1977.
“We’ve been on the other side of these a couple of times, and they haven’t been any fun,” said Servais.
