Hard to find positives on the diamond Saturday.

Well, you clicked on the link to open the article, so I guess you are into some pain, or you are just numb to it all from watching the team over the last week and a half or from viewing other Husker sports over the past two decades. This didn’t involve any late game disappointment though, it wasn’t pretty from the moment the umpire pointed at Mason McConnaughey (Big Mac) to start the game.

Big Mac threw the first pitch of the game and then swiftly turned around and watched the ball hit the bathroom area beyond the left field fence. The way Eddie Hacopian reacted after doing so made it almost seem like he had told his teammates that he was going to swing at the first pitch.

Big Mac seemed to find his bearings by striking out the next batter, but a single, HBP and walk to quickly load the bases made it clear that wasn't the case. Instead of throwing something outside the zone like his previous batters, the threw a couple pitches right down the middle and on the second one, Jacob Orr turned on it and hit it to the warning track for a 2 RBI double. Maryland led 3-0 before most people had sat down.

Nebraska seemed like they might be answering in the bottom of the first, after RIley Silva walked. Josh Caron then sent a towering fly ball to right field that was headed into the Maryland bullpen, but Jacob Orr reached over the wall and pulled it back in to end the inning and seemingly take out what little wind the Huskers had in their sails.

Big Mac unfortunately picked up right where he left off, either missing the zone altogether or leaving too many pitches right down the middle. The Terps started the inning with back to back singles, then mercifully gave the Huskers an out with a sac bunt. Chris Hacopian then entered the batters box, and McConnaughey threw one to the backstop, letting a runner score. Chris drove the next pitch to center, deep enough that brother Eddie could trot in on the sac fly. The Husker coaches had seen enough and went and got Big Mac. A week after winning pitcher of the week with 7 scoreless innings, he allowed 5 runs in 1.2 innings.

Caleb Clark entered the game and was coming off 3 solid outings prior to the game, and seemingly took control of this one, getting 4 quick outs in the 2nd and 3rd innings. The Nebraska offense looked like it might roar to life in the 3rd inning too, getting two runners on with 1 out, and Riley Silva fouling off pitch after pitch, seeing double digit pitches in his at bat. He and Cole Evans after him would end up striking out to end the threat.

Clark struggled to start the 4th, with a lead off walk, followed by a double off a full count to put runners on second and third. Eddie Hacopian hit a slow roller to Dylan Carey at short stop, and he had to charge in, allowing the runner to score, but was able to throw Eddie out at first. Clark beared down and struck out the next two batters to end the 4th, with Maryland up 6-0.

Nebraska finally got on the board in the bottom of the 4th, as the scorching hot Ben Columbus hit his 4th home run since coming back from injury. He has been the best bat in the lineup since he returned, batting .545 (12 for 22) with 4 home runs and 11 RBIs in 6 games over a 12 day span.

Clark made quick work of the Terps in the 5th, getting 3 straight ground outs on 7 pitches, and at that point the coaches said they were happy with him getting to that point and were planning on taking him out, which with how he has struggled over his two seasons with confidence, would have been perfect, instead they sent him back out for the 6th, and that is when disaster struck.

Just as quick as he got the Terps out in the previous inning, they went to work on him in the 6th with a single to right being followed by center fielder Eli Lambros hitting a bomb over his counterpart to dead center, and pushing the lead to 8-1. Clark was noticeably rattled and walked the next batter after a full count. Bobby Olson replaced him and after putting away the first two batters he faced, put a fastball right down the middle to Sam Hojnar who turned on it and hit it over the Party Porch in right-center. Maryland had ripped this game open, 11-1.

Nebraska would add a run in the bottom of the inning, as Josh Caron singled, and Garret Anglim doubled. Columbus drove a ball deep enough to left to score Caron and bring us to the final score of 11-2.

Maryland isn’t the offense juggernaut it has been over the previous 2 seasons, but is capable of putting up an offensive day like this if the opposing pitching is off just a tiny bit, but the Huskers were missing their spots in bunches. The surprising thing is that both their pitching and defense backed up that offensive output. Their last-in-the-conference defense pulled a home run back and was making all the routine plays (not that they were being tested all that hard by Husker hitters). And on top of that, a pitching staff that has had an ERA over 9.00 in the past few weeks, was hitting all their spots.

You’d have to hope they haven’t suddenly righted the ship and can’t put up back to back days of this pace. On the bright side, with the game getting out of hand early, Nebraska has still only used one of its main bullpen arms on the weekend, and didn’t have to bring in Will Walsh or Drew Christo Saturday, while the Terps used most of their better arms on Friday.

Should make for an interesting rubber match on Sunday. Don’t forget the time changed to a 12:05 start due to Maryland’s travel schedule.