By Nate Sanchez
Senior Staff Writer
On Friday, Feb. 15, the ‘Runners took the baseball field against the Nebraska Cornhuskers. The ‘Runners, despite a rocky first inning, came through with the win, scoring nine runs against the Huskers. The ‘Runners drew a record-breaking crowd on Friday, bringing in 1,075 fans. The previous record was 1,063 against USC last season.
Starting the game on the mound was senior left-hander Jeff McKenzie, who last year finished with a record of 6-5 with an ERA of 2.67. McKenzie got off to a good start this season by recording the win and recovering from an early two-run deficit in the first inning. McKenzie pitched six innings, allowed three runs, and struck out six Huskers.
“I kinda just got out of my own self,” McKenzie said after the game. “I tried to overthrow and do too much with the ball, and then after that I started to click in and start throwing my pitches the way I usually pitch.”
Having pitched six innings, McKenzie was relieved in the seventh by sophomore right-hander Hayden Carter. The San Diego native finished the final three innings of the ballgame. Despite giving up four hits, Carter kept his composure and only allowed one earned run while recording four strikeouts in the final innings.
“We expected that from him, and he did it,” head coach Bill Kernen said of Carter’s composure.
Kernen showed composure of his own during a dispute with the umpires over a call in the middle innings concerning contact between catcher Cael Brockmeyer and Nebraska shortstop Bryan Peters. Peters looked to make improper contact with Brockmeyer while he was running the bases. Brockmeyer did not sustain any serious injuries, but his encounter with the opposing shortstop ended in an out.
“I left a couple pitches over the plate and any good team is going to hit them hard,” Carter said. “Coach Kernen had us simulate game-like experiences throughout these past couple of weeks. They scored first, but we did a good job of answering back.”
“We had great weather and a great crowd,” Kernen said. “We played well, we played under control, and we played like how a veteran team should play.”
The ‘Runners’ bats got hot in the early innings, scoring six of their nine runs in the first three innings.
Junior shortstop Tyler Shyrock led the charge, tying CSUB’s record for hits in a single game by going 5-5 at the plate with four singles and a triple. Shryock also batted in two runs, while scoring a run on a base hit by Brockmeyer.
“We’ve been working really hard and it showed today,” Shyrock said. “As a team we had a great approach. We tried to put the ball in play with two strikes and it worked.”
With the win on Friday, Kernen moved within two wins of his one hundredth at the helm for the ‘Runners. Kernen has five years of experience as the head coach for the ‘Runners. The ‘Runners would continue their opening weekend when they hosted USC on Saturday.
