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Huskers drop finale and series at Iowa
 Darby |  Miller |
Austin Darby was a bright spot for the Huskers with a 3-for-3 day at the plate with three RBIs, but it wasn't enough to overcome NU's 2-3-4-5 hitters, who were a combined 0-for-13. Five Hawkeye hitters notched a pair of hits, including Dan Potempa and Jake Mangler with three apiece.
The game was tied 4-4 heading into the bottom of the eighth, when the Hawkeyes blew the game open with four runs. Freshman reliever Jake Hohensee sat the Hawkeyes down in order in the seventh and started the eighth with a strikeout, but then gave up a pair of singles and a walk to load the bases. Jeff Chesnut came in and tried to get a double play, but instead gave up a single that put the Hawkeyes back in front, 5-4. Zach Hirsch took the mound and gave up a single and a double that scored three runs. The lefty finally put an end to the inning with a pair of strikeouts, but not before Iowa had taken an 8-4 lead on five hits in the inning.
Nebraska's five-game road trip continues Tuesday in Wichita, Kan., when the Huskers (13-9, 1-2 Big Ten) and Wichita State meet at 6:30 p.m.
The Huskers then head to Manhattan, Kan., for a 6:30 p.m. meeting Wednesday with the Kansas State. That game will be carried live on FSN Kansas City.
The Huskers got a runner on in the top of the ninth but could not get anything else off closer Nick Hibbing.
Just like the first two games of the weekend, the Huskers took the game's first lead with a three-run second inning. Ben Miller plated Ryan Boldt, who led off the inning with a walk, with a one-out single, while Darby delivered with two outs by dropping a two-RBI triple into left field, the Huskers 12th triple of the season. Iowa left fielder Taylor Kaufman nearly made a full-extension diving catch that would have robbed Darby, but Kaufman could not squeeze the ball in his mitt.
After NU starter Bummer stranded a pair of Hawkeye runners in each of the first two innings, Iowa got on the scoreboard with a one-out RBI single off the bat of Potempa, who picked up his seventh hit of the series. Bummer quickly ended UI's thoughts of a rally when he got Taylor Zeutenhorst to fly out and struck out Kris Goodman looking for the second time in the game.
Goodman got his revenge in the bottom of the fifth when he came to the plate with two down and the bases loaded. The Hawkeye right fielder sneaked a groundball over the third-base bag that resulted in a two-RBI double that tied the game, 3-3. With the go-ahead run at third, Bummer got Kaufman to fly out to end the inning.
The Hawkeyes then took their first lead of the game, 4-3, the following inning with another two-out hit, as Mangler came through with a single off reliever Bob Greco that scored Kenyon, who had reached with a leadoff single.
Iowa's lead didn't last long, as the Huskers converted a leadoff walk into a run to knot the score at 4-4. Miller worked the leadoff free pass and was replaced on the base paths by Ty Kildow, who coasted into second base on a wild pitch by Peyton. Taylor Fish stepped in and did his job by bouncing a groundball to the right side of the infield that allowed Kildow to move to third with one out. Iowa brought Blake Hickman out of the bullpen to face Darby, who was for 3-for-3 coming into the at-bat, and retired Darby with a shallow fly out, but Kildow showed off his blazing speed by tagging up and beating a throw to the plate by Kaufman from left field.
R H E ------------------------------------------- Nebraska ........... 030 000 100 - 4 6 0 Iowa ............... 001 021 04x - 8 14 1 -------------------------------------------