It was a classic pitcher's duel under the lights in Columbus, and unfortunately for Nebraska, the bats stayed cold. The Huskers dropped Game 1 of their weekend series against Ohio State, 2-1, on a chilly Friday night in May.

For weeks, Friday nights had been a struggle for Nebraska's pitching staff. But enter Carson Jasa, the new Friday night starter, who was tasked with flipping the script against one of the Big Ten's most dominant arms: Ohio State's Gavin Kunzniewski. And early on, Jasa delivered.

Both pitchers were dealing from the first pitch. The only real trouble for Jasa came in the second inning. Ohio State's massive first baseman, Dane Harvey, led off with a solid single to center—Mac Moyer was playing deep, respecting Harvey's power, and couldn't get to it. Maddix Simpson followed with a rocket to first that Case Sanderson got a glove on, but the ball trickled out. Suddenly, runners were on the corners.

Jasa then walked the next batter on a full count to load the bases with nobody out. A quick mound visit settled things down. He responded with a three-pitch strikeout for the first out, then induced a sacrifice fly to right-center that scored Harvey. Another strikeout ended the inning. What could have been a disaster was contained to just one run—a deficit the powerful Husker offense should have erased without much trouble.

But that offense never showed up.

Kunzniewski was absolutely locked in, living off his changeup and keeping Nebraska's hitters completely off balance. Barrels were few and far between. It wasn't until the fifth inning that the Huskers finally put some pressure on the Buckeye starter. Third baseman Josh Overbeek led off with a one-out hit-by-pitch—something this Ohio State staff does rather often. Freshman right fielder Drew Grego then sent the first pitch he saw into center for a single, giving Nebraska its first two baserunners of the night.

Catcher Trey Fikes worked a productive out, pulling a ball down the first-base line to move the runners over for Rhett Stokes—Tuesday night's hero. Stokes went after the first pitch he saw, but the rally fizzled. The Huskers just couldn't find the breakthrough they needed.

In a game where the pitching finally held up on a Friday night, the offense went silent. For a team with postseason aspirations, it's a frustrating reminder that baseball can be a cruel game—even when you fix one problem, another can rear its head.