Coach Will Bolt mentioned a way to success following 19th-ranked Nebraska’s 8-6 victory against Penn State on a sunny Easter Sunday at Haymarket Park.
“We’ve had some big innings offensively,” he said. “That usually is a pretty good indicator of a win when you have at least one big inning in a game.”
The Huskers responded to Penn State’s two-run first inning with five runs in the second, including a two-run home run by Drew Grego and a two-run double by Jeter Worthley.
Joshua Overbeek started the assault with an RBI double before Grego’s home run.
Nebraska scored five runs in the first inning of the second game of a double-header Saturday, forced by weather issues Friday night, on the way to a 10-run rule, seven-inning, 13-1 victory. Jett Buck hit a grand slam in the first and added a two-run single in a three-run fourth.
Bolt’s observation didn’t apply to Saturday’s first game, however, an 8-7 victory. Penn State scored four runs in the third to take a 5-1 lead. But the Huskers scored in six consecutive innings, never more than two runs. Mac Moyer led the way with three RBIs, including two on a home run.
Buck also hit a home run and now has seven, second on the team to Dylan Carey’s eight.
A curious twist to Sunday’s game, closer J’Shawn Unger, who pitched two innings in Saturday’s first game to earn his fifth save, had to come on and finish Sunday’s game.
Nebraska led 8-3 going into the ninth but relievers Chase Olson and Pryce Bender couldn’t get an out and left the bases-loaded, with one run in. He hadn’t planned to use Unger, said Bolt. But Unger “did tell us before the game he had three outs in him.”
Unger faced three batters, the first hit into a double play with a run scoring. Another came in on a wild pitch. Unger walked a batter and got the final out on a ground ball. Game over.
Cooper Katskee started Sunday’s game and gave up a single and a Michael Anderson home run to start the game before settling in. He pitched seven innings, allowing only one more hit, another Anderson home run, walking two and striking out six — including Anderson in his third at-bat.
Carson Jasa pitched all seven innings in Saturday’s second game, allowing four hits, walking three and striking out 11. Tucker Timmerman, in relief of starter Ty Horn, pitched four innings, allowing only one hit, walking one and striking out two for his second victory — sealed by Unger — in Saturday’s first game.
Sunday’s victory was the Huskers’ 10th in a row and 21st in their last 22 games.
Nebraska defeated Creighton Tuesday for a 4-0 week. “It feels great,” Katskee said. “Any time you win three games, four games, in a week, 4-0 on the week, it’s awesome. Winners win and competitors compete, and I feel like we’re both of those things. So just getting to step on the field regardless of whoever it is, for a sweep or not, we’re fired up to play.”
There was no letdown after Saturday’s double-header sweep, said Rhett Stokes, who hit a three-run home run in the third inning Sunday. “I think we’re all just process-driven, each and every single day, so we just show up to the yard. It’s a joy to be out here.”
Sunday’s game “just shows how consistent we are and how each and every single member of this team is a contributing factor every single day,” Stokes said.
The bottom four in the order scored seven runs and drove in six Sunday.
As for his home run? The pitch was probably a fastball, Stokes said, probably.
The bottom line: “See the ball, hit the ball,” he said with a smile.
It’s not as simple as he made it seem, though. Once in a while neither is what Bolt said about big innings offensively. You could’ve asked Penn State after Saturday’s first game.
