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A couple of weeks ago, USD head baseball coach Brian Atchison got a call from the University of Nebraska to play a game at Lincoln.
Atchison didn't flinch at the opportunity and brought the USD team to play the Division-I and top-10 ranked Cornhuskers. Even though USD didn't beat Nebraska, they put up a good fight as they lost, 9-1.
Atchison said it was a great opportunity.
"It was an honor when the University of Nebraska called to play. They were looking for an extra game and I jumped at the opportunity to bring the USD baseball team down to beautiful Haymarket Park in Lincoln, Nebraska," Atchison said. "Unfortunately, it was a rainy day and they didn't get their 4,500 people that they average per game. But it was still a beautiful setting for us as a Division II team playing the sixth-ranked team in the country in some polls."
Senior Horace Lawrence drove in the Coyotes only run of the game in the sixth inning. Mark Goodman, who suffered the loss, was the starter for the Coyotes and pitched 2.1 innings and allowed four runs.
Atchison said things could have turned around if a couple of situations panned out.
"I thought we played pretty well. We hit the ball hard and flew out to the fence three times against a 20 mile-per-hour wind," Atchison said. "Who knows what could have happened with Brian Boyer, Bryan Hohenthaner and Nate Dunlap's ball flying out to the fence had it been a different day, but that's baseball."
Senior catcher Justin Miller said the Nebraska game was a great experience.
"It was overwhelming. We roll up to the park and you have a $15 million complex. Not one baseball player wouldn't give his life to play every single day in that place," Miller said. "Just the atmosphere right away was up-hauling. Then on top of that, you're playing against some of the best players the nation has to offer. We had a lot of fun; we soaked it all in. The fans were great."
After the University of Nebraska game, USD lost three of its next four to Augustana.
Last Saturday, Augustana took a pair of games in a slugfest by beating the Coyotes, 10-7 and 17-13. Senior Horace Lawrence hit a pair of homers in game two to tie the USD single-season home run record.
Atchison said it was a wild game.
"The first day, the wind was blowing straight out at Prentis Park. There were 17 home runs on Saturday, eight or nine by each team," Atchison said. "You have to be able to win in all elements and we just weren't good enough on Saturday to put together a couple of wins."
On Sunday, USD climbed to a game above the .500 mark with a victory but then lost in game two to fall to 21-21 overall, 8-12 in the NCC.
In game one, Goodman pitched a complete game allowing only three runs and four hits as he helped USD to a 4-3 victory. Augustana took game two in a pitching duel, 4-2.
In game two, USD had the lead but just could not hold on to it.
"On Sunday, we had a great pitching performance from Mark Goodman and in the second game, we were winning 2-0 going into the last inning and Justin Carey just couldn't hold the lead," Atchison said. "They had the bases loaded down 2-1, two outs and two strikes and had a three-hopper go between the foul line and the third baseman, and that's how they won the game. Baseball is a matter of inches. One inch over and we win, 2-1. It seems that's how our season has gone, but you make your own breaks and that's probably the biggest thing."
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