Iowa shuts down No. 1 seed Nebraska in Big Ten baseball tournament

Iowa pitcher Ryan Erickson has Big Ten champion Nebraska's number.

After tossing six innings of six-hit, three-run (two earned) ball for his first career quality start in a 5-3 Iowa win April 15, Erickson was even better in Friday's Big Ten tournament game in Bloomington, Ind.

The lefty didn't allow a run while scattering 10 hits and striking out six over a career-high 7 2/3 innings, and Iowa's bullpen got out of two bases-loaded jams to advance to the semifinals with a 2-0 victory.

The fifth-seeded Hawkeyes (36-19) face No. 3 seed Minnesota (35-20) at 9 a.m. Central Saturday, needing just one win to return to Sunday's championship game after taking second last season. The Gophers need to win twice to advance. The second game, if necessary, would take place at 4 p.m. Saturday.

'I just had a lot of fun out there,' Erickson said on BTN. 'The past couple Big Ten tournaments, I've pitched terrible. This could be my last outing and I wanted to make it something special.'

Nebraska tied for second in the Big Ten with 134 runs scored in conference play but couldn't come up with key hits against the Hawkeyes.

'My fastball wasn't really my go-to pitch today,' Erickson said. 'I was having trouble locating it in and out, so I was really focusing on my changeup and my changeup, in my last outing, was really, really good, I thought.'

Erickson left with two on and two out in the eighth and reliever Zach Daniels immediately loaded the bases with a four-pitch walk, but then got Mojo Hagge to fly out to left to end the threat.

Daniels hit the first batter of the ninth, then Scott Schreiber and Ben Miller smacked back-to-back two-out singles to load the bases again, but Josh Martsching struck out Luis Alvarado to end it. All told, the Huskers (35-19-1) stranded 14 and were 1-for-9 with runners in scoring position.

Chris Whelan's third-inning home run put the Hawkeyes up 1-0, then Big Ten Player of the Year Jake Adams' first hit of the tournament scored Whelan in the fifth to make it 2-0. Whelan, the Hawkeyes' leadoff hitter, is now 5-for-7 in the tournament with two homers.

No. 7 seed Northwestern is the 2-0 team on the other side of the bracket and will take on the Maryland at 12:30 p.m. Central Saturday. The Terps eliminated Nebraska with a late-night 8-5 victory.