Nebraska Baseball Opens Big Ten Play With 5-2 Victory at Northwestern

Brett Sears won his fifth game of the year and posted his sixth consecutive quality start

Will Walsh's only hit of the day was a home run. / Nebraska Athletics

Nebraska baseball began Big Ten Conference play the same way the nonconference slate had been going: with a win.

The Huskers (18-5, 1-0 Big Ten) scored five runs on eight hits to win at Northwestern (10-13, 0-1 Big Ten) by a 5-2 margin Friday afternoon. Nebraska has now won eight consecutive games.

Brett Sears won his fifth game of the year, throwing 7.0 innings. Sears allowed two earned runs on six hits. It was Sears’ sixth consecutive quality start, which is tied for the longest streak by a Husker hurler since Matt Waldron recorded six straight in 2019.

Evan Borst, Kyle Perry and Rans Sanders pitched the final 3.0 innings, allowing a combined two hits and issuing a single walk. Sanders earned the save, his second of the season.

The last two innings were far from uneventful for the Husker bullpen. Perry entered the game with the bases loaded and no outs in the bottom of the eighth but retired the side by forcing a flyout and two groundouts. The Wildcats again loaded the bases in the ninth with one out before a pair of flyouts ended the game.

Will Walsh hit a home run with his only hit of the day, a two-run shot in the second inning. Seven Huskers notched hits.

The series continues Saturday at 1 p.m. CDT at Rocky and Berenice Miller Park.

• Box score