Anderson goes long twice as Nebraska blasts Minnesota 18-0 to even the series
Nebraska baseball needed a bounce back in the worst way. The Huskers got all that and more in an 18-0 demolition of the Minnesota Golden Gophers on Saturday afternoon.
Jace Kaminska got back on track with his first quality start since March 25 and Max Anderson pulverized two home runs in the victory. Head coach Will Bolt’s squad totaled 18 runs on 19 hits to tie the weekend series 1-1.
Nebraska is 23-16-1 on the year. Here’s how the Huskers blew out the Golden Gophers.
Kaminska showed some solid early signs after a rough month of outings. The right-hander worked around a one-out single with a pair of strikeouts to hang a zero in his first inning of work. Nebraska pushed a run across in the bottom half via a Minnesota error and could have had much more. But, Charlie Fischer and Dylan Carey struck out with two Huskers on base.
After a stretch of nine consecutive batters retired between both teams, Nebraska broke through with a leadoff single by Brice Matthews in the third. The shortstop was wiped off the bases moments later when he was caught stealing second.
Anderson salvaged the inning for the Huskers. The second baseman blasted his 14th home run of the season into the blustery winds carrying toward right field. Nebraska put two more baserunners on but the two-out rally fell short on a Carey fielder’s choice.
Leading 2-0, Kaminska allowed his first Golden Gopher to reach base in 2 2/3 innings after a single began the fourth. The Husker starter buckled down once again and followed the hit by coaxing a flyout and two groundouts.
The jet stream from right aided Nebraska for a second time in the home half. A Matthews two-out double hugged the line in left and plated Cole Evans to grow the Husker advantage to 3-0.
Kaminska struck out the side in the fifth and that set Nebraska for more right-field fun in the bottom half. This time Gabe Swansen went yard with a two-run shot that drew an exasperated reaction from Golden Gopher outfielder Kris Hockenson.
Another scoreless inning from Kaminska gave way to a deluge of Husker runs in the sixth. Minnesota made a pitching change and Nebraska immediately capitalized. Casey Burnham opened the scoring with an RBI single followed by some heady Husker baserunning. Matthews stole home from third in the midst of a pickle between first and second.
Nebraska tacked on two more runs. Fischer drove in one with a double to left-center and Carey added another on after the Golden Gophers’ second error of the inning. When the dust settled, the Huskers held a commanding 9-0 lead.
The Huskers didn’t take their foot off the gas in the seventh. Nebraska tallied eight runs on six hits in a scoring run that made the last inning’s deluge look like a trickle. Anderson’s second blast of the day (and 15th for the season) along with Josh Caron’s three-run jack highlighted the inning.
Kaminska exited in the eighth with the Huskers ahead 17-0. His final line featured seven innings of scoreless work in which he scattered five hits and totaled seven strikeouts without issuing a walk. Kyle Perry was the first Nebraska arm to leave the pen and he promptly struck out the side.
Anderson added his fourth RBI of the afternoon on a single in the home half to grow the Husker lead to 18-0. JC Gutierrez got the ball in the ninth and sat the Golden Gophers down in order notching a punchout to close the ballgame.
What’s next for Nebraska baseball?
Nebraska wraps up the series on Sunday afternoon at 1:05 p.m. CT. Fans can stream the game on Big Ten Plus.
Then on Wednesday the Huskers host North Dakota State for a second midweek matchup. That game will also be on Big Ten Plus.
