Big Ten: Nebraska Baseball Opens NCAA Tournament With a Victory

Nebraska defeated Northeastern on Friday 8-6 and will face Arkansas on Saturday. Both Maryland and Michigan lost their first matchups and now face elimination.

The 2021 NCAA Division I Baseball Tournament began on Friday, and it featured three Big Ten programs. Nebraska, Michigan and Maryland all stepped into the diamond, but only the Cornhuskers came away victorious in their first game of the postseason.

Nebraska faced off against Northeastern in Fayetteville, Arkansas, and found itself down 4-0 after the third inning. But the Cornhuskers rallied at the bottom of the fourth and ripped a three-run homer to make it a one-run game. 

It was the start of an eight-run stretch that went until the seventh inning. The Huskies wouldn't score again until the top of the eighth, but the game was all but out of reach.

After the 8-6 victory, Nebraska will now play No. 1-ranked Arkansas on Saturday at 8 p.m. on ESPN3. The Razorbacks beat the New Jersey Institute of Technology in their opener, 13-8.

Both the Terrapins and the Wolverines lost their opening games on Friday and now face elimination on Saturday. Maryland lost 13-10 against Charlotte, while Michigan fell 6-1 against UConn.

Maryland is scheduled to play Norfolk State, and Michigan will face off against Central Michigan.

Stories Related to NCAA Basketball 

• NCAA TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE: The field of 64 is set for the 2021 NCAA baseball tournament, which started on Friday with the higher seeds winning 26 of the first 32 games. CLICK HERE
• BAKICH CRITICIZES BIG TEN SCHEDULE: Michigan Baseball made the NCAA Tournament as one of the last four in despite suffering from a 44-game, conference-only schedule. The Wolverines were one of three Big Ten programs to qualify. CLICK HERE