May 6, 2017 Box Score
LINCOLN, Neb. - In front of a crowd of 6,007, Rutgers baseball fell into an early hole on the way to a 9-3 loss to Nebraska in the second game of the series Saturday at Hawks Field. The three-game set will wrap up Sunday, as the Scarlet Knights are in the midst of playing eight of their last 11 Big Ten games on the road.
Sophomore Jawuan Harris hit his team-leading eighth home run of the season to highlight the 10-hit attack, adding a double. Sophomore Carmen Sclafani collected two doubles and a single for his third three-hit game of the year, while junior Chris Folinusz notched two more hits in Big Ten play. In addition, senior Tom Marcinczyk joined the 200-hit club with a single in the sixth inning. He is the 17th player in program history to reach the mark.
On the mound, sophomore Serafino Brito (3-8) was charged with the loss after permitting four earned runs in a four-inning start. Freshman Eric Reardon followed with one inning of work, with classmate Kyle Gerace registering three strikeouts in 1.2 scoreless innings after that. Senior Colin Bohnert did not surrender a run in the final 1.1 frames.
The Cornhuskers (28-16-1, 11-5-1) jumped out to a 7-0 lead through four innings, starting with a run on three hits in the first inning. Sophomore Mike Martinez helped Brito log a scoreless second by doubling off a runner at first with an accurate throw from left field. However, an error allowed an unearned run in the third and NU plated five in the fourth. That frame included four hits and a two-run error.
In the sixth, Marcinczyk reached the milestone 200th hit with a two-out single up the middle. Harris then followed with a two-run shot into the right-field bullpen.
Nebraska came back with two more in the sixth to reach nine runs for the game. Rutgers (17-27, 5-9) tallied one in the ninth when Folinusz singled, Sclafani doubled and freshman Kevin Welsh hit an RBI ground ball.
Derek Burkamper (4-4) earned the win for the home team with two runs allowed in 6.1 innings. The Cornhuskers totaled 13 hits and took advantage of three RU errors.
The Scarlet Knights will look to salvage the series finale Sunday at 1 p.m. ET.
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