Huskers Complete Midweek Sweep of Wichita State

Nebraska completed its midweek sweep of Wichita State with a 5-4 win over the Shockers on Wednesday night at Hawks Field at Haymarket Park.

Nebraska (7-8) scored five runs on five hits, while Wichita State (6-11) totaled four runs and nine hits.

Gabe Swansen was 1-for-4 with two RBI, and Max Buettenback went 1-for-1 with a solo homer. Cayden Brumbaugh had an RBI double, while Case Sanderson and Devin Nunez had one hit each.

TJ Coats pitched two innings, allowed two runs on two hits with three strikeouts and a pair of walks. Colin Nowaczyk tossed 2.1 innings in relief and gave up one run on three hits while striking out two with two walks.

Gavin Blachowicz picked up his first career win with 1.1 shutout innings. Jalen Worthley pitched 1.1 innings, allowing one run on two hits with a pair of punchouts. Drew Christo pitched a shutout frame, followed by Luke Broderick shutting down the Shockers in the ninth for his third save of the season.

The Husker offense went to work early, plating four runs on two hits in the bottom of the first inning. Back-to-back walks to Sanderson and Will Jesske set the table for Brumbaugh’s RBI double down the left-field line that brought home Sanderson.

Cael Frost drew a four-pitch walk, while Swansen ripped a two-RBI single through the left side to score Jesske and Brumbaugh and extend the lead to three. An RBI fielder’s choice from Rhett Stokes to shortstop allowed Frost to score and stretched the NU lead to 4-0 through the first inning.

A walk and a hit batter put a pair of runners on for the Shockers in the top of the second, while a sacrifice fly to center plated Wichita State’s first run of the night. A two-out RBI single brought WSU within 4-2 through two innings.

Wichita State made it a one-run game in the top of the fifth with a pair of singles, including an RBI single to right field that made it a 4-3 game.

Nebraska immediately got the run back in the bottom of the fifth when Buettenback blasted a pinch-hit, 403-foot solo shot off the videoboard behind the home run terrace in right field.

A pair of leadoff singles in the top of the eighth, followed by back-to-back sacrifice hits brought the Shockers within 5-4. With a runner on third and two outs, Christo drew a swinging strikeout to keep the lead for the Huskers.

Broderick worked around a leadoff walk in the top of the ninth, surrendering a sacrifice bunt and striking out the final two batters to clinch the 5-4 win for Nebraska on Wednesday night.

Nebraska returns to Big Ten play this weekend, as the Huskers venture to Los Angeles for a three-game series at UCLA. First pitch on Friday between the Big Red and Bruins is set for 7 p.m. CT on B1G+.