Horn, Sanderson Lift Huskers to Even Series

Ty Horn tossed six scoreless innings and Case Sanderson fell a triple shy of the cycle, as the Huskers evened the series at Maryland with a 7-2 win against the Terrapins on Saturday night at Bob “Turtle” Smith Stadium in College Park, Md.

Nebraska (20-23, 8-12 Big Ten) scored seven runs on 11 hits and an error, while Maryland (20-24, 6-14 Big Ten) recorded two runs, eight hits and three errors.

Sanderson reached base safely five times, going 3-for-3 with a double, a home run, three RBI, a run scored and a pair of walks. Cayden Brumbaugh also reached base five times with a 3-for-3 night at the plate with a double, two RBI, a run scored and two walks.

Robby Bolin and Max Buettenback doubled, and Dylan Carey, Joshua Overbeek and Hogan Helligso recorded a hit apiece.

Ty Horn improved to 2-4 on the year after dealing six shutout innings. The sophomore allowed six hits and two walks while striking out five. Drew Christo allowed a run in one inning of work, while Casey Daiss surrendered one run across a pair of hits in two innings.

The Husker offense took advantage of a pair of free passes in the top of the second to break scoreless tie with just one hit. Sanderson and Overbeek worked back-to-back one-out walks, before Helligso lined a first-pitch RBI single to center field to give the Big Red a 1-0 lead.

Horn worked out of a bases-loaded jam with two outs in the bottom of the third, inducing a groundout to first to preserve NU’s 1-0 advantage.

Carey opened the fourth inning with a full-count walk, while Sanderson crushed an RBI double to the wall right field that plated Carey from first and doubled the lead to two.

The Huskers plated three runs on four hits in the top of the fifth to grow the lead to five. The first two runs of the inning came off three consecutive doubles off the bats of Bolin, Brumbaugh and Buettenback. The Huskers tacked on a third run when Sanderson’s RBI single to right field scored Buettenback from second and made it a 5-0 game.

An RBI groundout with the bases loaded in the bottom of the seventh plated Maryland’s first run of the day and made it a 5-1 game through seven innings.

Riley Silva drew a leadoff walk in the top of the eighth inning. The senior moved to second on a sacrifice bunt and advanced to third on a groundout, while Brumbaugh’s first-pitch RBI single through the left side plated Silva and gave the Huskers a 6-1 lead.

The Terrapins immediately got the run back in the bottom of the eighth with a leadoff solo home run.

The Big Red added a run in the top of the ninth when Sanderson lifted a 2-2 pitch over the batter’s eye in center field for a solo homer to give Nebraska a 7-2 advantage.

Daiss retired the Terrapins in order in the bottom of the ninth to clinch the Huskers’ win on Saturday night.

Nebraska and Maryland conclude the three-game series tomorrow afternoon at Bob “Turtle” Smith Stadium in College Park, Md. First pitch between the Huskers and Terrapins is set for 12 p.m. CT on B1G+.