The No. 19 Nebraska baseball team renewed its rivalry with in-state rivals Creighton for the first time in 2026 Tuesday night. Nebraska (23-6) scored six runs off 10 hits and one error, defeating Creighton 6-5 at Charles Schwab Field.
“It feels good,” Nebraska sophomore right-handed pitcher J’Shawn Unger said. “It’s a big rivalry game between Nebraska and Creighton, so winner comes out, it’s who owns the state. It’s a big game in our hearts, so it’s a good feeling to win it.”
Sophomore right-handed pitcher Gavin Blachowicz started the game throwing four shutout innings, allowing two hits while striking out a pair of batters to earn his third win of the season.
“It was a fun game,” Blachowicz said. “These I-80 rivalries are great games. It’s an honor to be able to start one of these games. We look forward to these games every year, and I’m happy we got out of here with a win.”
The Huskers jumped out to a 6-0 lead, scattering all six of their runs between the second and sixth innings, before the Bluejays plated five in the bottom of the sixth to cut the deficit to one.
“We’ve played that game before,” Nebraska head coach Will Bolt said. “We’ve played it several times this year, where we get the big lead and let them crawl back in it with a big number. J’Shawn’s been in that position before. Defensively, we’ve been in that position before. We had all the confidence that we were going to finish it off.”
Finish they did, slamming the door shut in the last three innings.
“I thought that was a really good college baseball game for the state of Nebraska,” Creighton head coach Mark Kingston said. “I’m disappointed we lost obviously, but I thought the difference was we lost a fly ball in the twilight that cost us a run, and I think athletically they made some really nice plays on defense tonight that saved them a couple runs too. It could have gone either way. I have a lot of respect for how they played and the kind of team they have this year, so I think the fact that we went toe to toe with them for all nine innings bodes well for us.”
Junior outfielder Mac Moyer got his first taste of the rivalry after transferring to Nebraska from San Jacinto college in 2026. He went 1-5 at the plate, with a single and three RBIs.
“It was pretty cool,” Moyer said. “We got off to a hot start and they definitely battled back. Seeing that rivalry part of it, they’re in it no matter what, whatever the score is. I’m just glad we were able to hold on.”
Since the start of 2016, the Bluejays have beaten the Huskers by two runs or fewer 10 times, but the Big Red turned the tables on Tuesday.
“I think we’ve proven all year that we have the ability to hit in pretty much any scenario, whether it’s two outs, nobody on, we’re down eight, we’re down 11, it doesn’t matter,” Moyer said. “We’re going to battle as an offense, and we’re going to pick up our pitchers anytime we can.”
Blachowicz echoed the sentiment.
“These guys are tough, every single guy in this dugout is unreal,” Blachowicz said. “We come here knowing we’re going to win every game, and I think that’s really good and really important.”
Round two between Creighton and Nebraska is set for Apr. 14 at Hawks Field at Haymarket Park.
