More on Rutgers baseball's Friday 4-2 win over Nebraska

After being swept last weekend by the Illinois Fighting Illini, the Rutgers baseball team bounced back Friday and snagged a win versus Nebraska. The Scarlet Knights took down the Cornhuskers by a score of 4-2, as starter John O’Reilly pitched eight innings of two run, five hit ball.

“It felt good to pitch like that,” O’Reilly told TKR. “Just to come out and win the first game was important. After a tough weekend vs. Illinois last weekend, it’s really important for us to step up here and do a good job.”

O’Reilly pitched eight strong innings and was even thrown out there back on the mound in the ninth, even after throwing 105 pitches through the first eight.

“Coach just has a lot of confidence in me,” said O’Reilly. “He’s let me go deep in games a bunch of times. I understood the situation and I knew if I let a guy on, I’d come out. However having a kid like (Serafino) Brito behind me is exactly the guy I want.”

“John has that bulldog mentality, he wants it,” Coach Joe Litterio told TKR. “He’s a senior and he knows where he is at right now, it was his game.”

Along with good pitching the Scarlet Knights also received some good hitting from the team as starting shortstop Dan DiGeorgio hit the only home run for Rutgers.

“That was a great hit,” said Litterio. “I know they’ve been trying to bust him in lately on scouting reports and stuff like that. We were actually talking about him yesterday at the castle (new indoor practice facility) and he was able to turn on that one great.”

Next up for the Scarlet Knights is game two of the three game series vs. Nebraska. The game will take place at 1 p.m. on Saturday once again at Bainton Field.