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Husker Stars Rise Up for Series Win at Michigan
Looking for a savior in the rubber match of a Big Ten series, the Big Red found salvation in some familiar places in the lineup as the Huskers powered their way to an 11-3 win over Michigan on Easter Sunday.
Nebraska (18-10-1 overall, 4-2 Big Ten) won the weekend by hammering the Wolverines with extra-base hits, seven of them in total. Junior shortstop Brice Matthews hit a three-run home run in the second inning. Junior second baseman Max Anderson went 2-for-5 with a double, HR and three RBIs. Sophomore catcher Josh Caron added another circuit blast and a pair of doubles. Each of the three scored twice in the decisive third game of the series.
Michigan (17-14, 6-3) struck first, scoring twice off NU starter Will Walsh in the opening inning. The sophomore left-hander surrendered a two-out, two-run single but then navigated the next two frames without allowing a run.
That’s when the Husker bats took over.
Caron led off the second inning with a solo bomb to left. Two outs later, freshman third baseman Dylan Carey and senior first baseman Efry Cervantes both singled, setting the stage for Matthews’ game-changing three-run blast. That gave Nebraska a 4-2 lead the Huskers would not relinquish.
Another leadoff dinger in the third inning, this time from Anderson, and an RBI-double from sophomore left fielder Gabe Swansen pushed the Husker advantage to 6-2.
The Wolverines knocked Walsh out with a leadoff home run of their own in the fourth, but a couple of senior relievers took care of the final 18 outs. Michael Garza tossed four shutout innings, allowing three hits and two walks while striking out four. Jake Bunz handled two innings and, like Garza, gave up no runs and collected four K's. Walsh finished his first Sunday start with a no-decision on seven hits, three runs, one walk, and two punch-outs.
Swansen added a sac fly in the fifth, then Anderson doubled in two more and senior DH Charlie Fischer singled in another in the sixth to make it 10-3. Carey then found an RBI-single in the seventh inning to round out the 11-3 win.
Paired with the dramatic 3-1 victory in 10 innings Friday, Nebraska clinched its second straight conference series Sunday. Michigan won game 2 on Saturday, 8-6.
Next up: a rematch with the Omaha Mavericks on Tuesday in Lincoln.