Late Offense Fuels Huskers on Sunday

Nebraska plated seven runs in the seventh and eighth innings to clinch the series win with an 8-3 victory vs. Minnesota on Sunday afternoon at Hawks Field at Haymarket Park.

Nebraska (24-24, 11-13 Big Ten) scored eight runs on 13 hits and an error, while Minnesota (22-24, 8-16 Big Ten) totaled three runs, 10 hits and an error.

Gabe Swansen was 2-for-4 with a double and two RBI, while Robby Bolin, Cayden Brumbaugh, Will Jesske and Joshua Overbeek pieced together two-hit performances.

Dylan Carey had a 1-for-4 afternoon with a solo home run, and Case Sanderson was 1-for-1 with a double and two RBI.

Jackson Brockett allowed two runs on five hits with a pair of punchouts and two walks in 4.2 innings of work. Casey Daiss and Colin Nowaczyk recorded an out apiece, before Pryce Bender surrendered a run on a hit in one inning.

Grant Cleavinger recorded two outs and improved to 1-0 on the season, while Drew Christo and Luke Broderick tossed scoreless eighth and ninth innings.

Nebraska threatened in the bottom of the third with a pair of baserunners but couldn’t plate the game’s first run of the afternoon. Bolin reached on a fielding error, before Brumbaugh singled through the left side to put runners on first and second with one out. The next two Huskers were retired to keep the scoreless deadlock through three innings.

The Gophers broke the scoreless tie in the top of the fifth with two runs on a pair of hits. A two-out single through the right side set the table for a two-run homer to right field that gave Minnesota its 2-0 advantage.

Carey cut the deficit in half with a 387-foot solo shot down the left-field line to bring the Big Red within 2-1 after six innings.

A leadoff walk and a one-out fielding error set the table for an RBI single up the middle that stretched Minnesota’s lead to 3-1 in the top of the seventh.

The Huskers responded immediately with three runs on three hits in the bottom of the seventh to grab a 4-3 advantage. Riley Silva drew a leadoff walk, while Bolin singled to center field to put runners on first and second with no outs.

Swansen ripped an RBI double down the left-field line to plate Silva from second, before a wild pitch allowed Bolin to score and lock the game at three. Swansen slid safely around the tag at the plate on an RBI fielder’s choice by Stone to give Nebraska its first lead of the afternoon.

Christo blanked the Gophers in the top of the eighth, while the Husker offense poured in four runs in the bottom of the eighth to grow the lead to 8-3. The Huskers had the bases loaded with no outs after a walk to Bolin and singles from Silva and Brumbaugh.

Swansen lifted the first pitch for a sacrifice fly to deep center, scoring Silva. Sanderson lined a two-RBI double down the right-field line that scored Bolin and Brumbaugh and gave NU a 7-3 lead.

The Huskers tacked on one more run when Overbeek smacked a 1-2 pitch up the middle for an RBI single, scoring Sanderson from second and making it an 8-3 game.

Broderick worked around a one-out double in the top of the ninth to preserve Nebraska’s 8-3 win on Sunday afternoon.

Nebraska steps out of conference play for a midweek matchup with Creighton on Tuesday in Lincoln. First pitch between the Huskers and Bluejays is set for 6:02 p.m. at Hawks Field at Haymarket Park.