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Northwestern 5, Nebraska 0 Rocky Miller Park | Evanston, Ill. Box Score (PDF) | Box Score (HTML) |
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EVANSTON, Ill. - Junior Matt Portland pitched his first career complete-game and shutout and tied a career-best eight strikeouts to boost Northwestern to a 5-0 victory over Nebraska on Saturday afternoon at Rocky Miller Park.
Portland tossed 132 pitches in his 12th start this spring, and scattered 11 hits and walked one for the win. Senior Kyle Kubat earned his third loss of the year after allowing five runs on nine hits in 5 1/3 innings pitched.
Led by two runs on just as many hits from fifth-year senior Scott Heelan, eight of NU's starters registered hits in the Wildcats' effort.
The Huskers appeared to have all the momentum early on when they loaded the bases in the top of the second, but they were unable to open scoring as Portland stranded all three runners with his first strikeout of the day.
Kubat retired the first seven Wildcats of the game, but the NU took charge in the bottom of the third. Sophomore RJ Watters rifled a one-out single up the middle and plated the opening run of the game off a base hit from Heelan. Junior Zach Jones launched his Big Ten-best 19th double of the year to cross Heelan and Chicago's Big Ten Team declared a 2-0 lead.
In the top of the fourth, the Cornhuskers got their leadoff man on base for the fourth-consecutive frame, but Portland retired the next three batters to keep Nebraska off the board.
The Wildcats broke open the game in the sixth inning. Heelan led off with a single to left field and Northwestern followed up with three-consecutive one-out doubles -- all down the left field line - from junior Jack Mitchell, senior Reid Hunter and sophomore Joe Hoscheit to add three more runs to the Wildcats' lead.
Jake Hohensee entered the game in relief for Nebraska and allowed one hit for the remaining 2 2/3 frames, but it was not enough for the Huskers as Northwestern evened the series with the win.
Northwestern and Nebraska return to action on Sunday, May 3, at 1 p.m., for the series rubber match. The game will be streamed live on BTN Plus. Make your plans to join us at Rocky Miller Park as we celebrate head coach Paul Stevens and his three decades as a Northwestern coach. There will be a pregame ceremony, beginning at 12:40 p.m. to honor Coach Stevens and all that he has done for Northwestern baseball. Early arriving fans will receive a commemorative gift.
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