PEORIA, Ariz. — Nebraska’s baseball team was in position to earn its first win of the season Sunday, but the Husker pitching staff allowed five runs in the final two innings and Gonzaga held on for a 5-4 win.

The Huskers led 4-0 heading into the eighth, but junior Tom Lemke surrendered two runs in the inning. Sophomore Brandon Pierce then blew the save in the ninth, giving up a three-run double to Marco Gonzales.

Freshman Blake Headley led off the bottom of the ninth with a single and senior Kale Kiser drew a one-out walk, but no Nebraska batter reached after that.

The Huskers (0-3) appeared to be on their way to a win Sunday — even better off than in games on Friday and Saturday, when they lost despite holding leads going into the seventh innings.

Freshman left-hander Kyle Kubat, in his first career start, and Lemke, coming back from offseason shoulder surgery, combined to shut out Gonzaga (3-0) for the first seven innings.

Kubat gave up seven hits in five-plus innings. Lemke got out of a sixth-inning jam and cruised through the seventh before running into trouble in the eighth. The Zags scored twice off Lemke, who recorded one out in the inning.

Junior Tyler Niederklein blew a save Saturday when NU had a three-run lead, so Pierce got the call in the ninth Sunday. One Gonzaga batter reached on an error and Pierce walked two others to load the bases before Gonzales’ game-winning hit.

Nebraska jumped in front in the first inning, scoring when junior Rich Sanguinetti crossed the plate on a throwing error. Junior Chad Christensen’s two-out single scored sophomore Michael Pritchard and put Nebraska up 2-0.

Pritchard drove in Sanguinetti with a single in the third inning and Kiser gave NU a 4-0 lead with his RBI single in the seventh.

Gonzaga (2-1) 000 000 023—5 11 1
Nebraska (0-3) 201 000 100—4  9 1
W: Peterson, 1-0. L: Pierce, 0-1.

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