Nebraska baseball bounced back from a Friday night loss to sweep a doubleheader from Northwestern Saturday to win the Big Ten series between the two schools. After the Huskers (19-21, 7-11 B1G) rolled to a 14-4, seven-inning mercy rule win in game one, Nebraska held off the Wildcats (17-20, 8-10 B1G) to win the nightcap, 5-2.
The Cornhuskers wasted no time taking control of the doubleheader, scoring five runs in the bottom of the first inning. Gabe Swansen’s grand slam got Nebraska on the board, and Joshua Overbeek pushed the lead to five with an RBI single. Max Buettenback’s two-run homer ballooned the lead to 7-0 after the second. The teams traded runs in the fourth, and after the Wildcats scored two in the fourth, Nebraska responded with three in the bottom of the fourth to lead, 11-3. Northwestern scored one more in the fifth before the Huskers tallied three in the fifth to build the 10-run margin necessary to finish off the Wildcats in seven innings.
Buettenback paced the Nebraska offense by going 2-for-4 at the plate with a homer and two RBI. Cayden Brumbaugh also added two hits, a double and an RBI. Ty Horn (1-4) earned the win, allowing three runs in five innings while striking out six. Tucker Timmerman made his first appearance since a batted ball hit him in the face during the Huskers’ win over Vanderbilt Feb. 15. In two innings, Timmerman allowed one earned run.
Jackson Brockett’s (1-3) solid start on the mound propelled Nebraska to a game two win. In five shutout innings, Brockett allowed two hits and one walk while striking out five. The Huskers got on the board in the third inning when Will Jesske scored on a wild pitch. Then in the fourth, an RBI double by Overbeek built Nebraska’s lead to 3-0. Case Sanderson followed with an RBI single. In the bottom of the fifth, Swansen stole home as Robbie Bolin stole second to push the lead to 4-0. After Northwestern scored in the top of the seventh, Swansen’s sacrifice fly popup to the second baseman scored Riley Silva to build the score to 5-1. Griffin Mills homered in the eighth to cut the lead to three, but the Wildcats drew no closer.
Swansen was 2-for-3 with an RBI to lead the Husker bats. Buettenback and Bolin also had two hits for the Huskers in the nightcap. Bennett Markinson was 2-for-4 to lead Northwestern’s lineup.
Nebraska is next in action Tuesday at 6 p.m. against Kansas at Hawks Field in Lincoln. Pregame coverage begins at 5:30 p.m. on KLIN.