Nebraska baseball shells Michigan for 11-3 win, takes the series 2-1
Nebraska baseball topped Michigan 11-3 on Sunday afternoon to claim its second Big Ten series win of the season.
The Huskers fell behind early, but responded using three home runs and stout work from the bullpen to pull away in Ann Arbor. Head coach Will Bolt’s squad totaled 12 hits and seven of which went for extra bases. Nebraska is now 18-10-1 overall with a 4-2 conference record entering next weekend’s series against Northwestern.
Michigan opened the scoring in the bottom of the first. The Wolverines tallied three hits off Nebraska starter Will Walsh as Ryan Van Remortel plated a pair with a two-out single to left. Michigan’s 2-0 advantage marked the first time the Wolverines snagged an initial lead in the series.
It didn’t take the Huskers long to go back on top. Josh Caron cut into the deficit with a leadoff blast that made it 2-1. Michigan starter Jacob Denner retired the next two Nebraska bats but Dylan Carey and Efry Cervantes notched singles to set the table for Brice Matthews. The junior shortstop clutched up for the second time in three days and launched his 10th homer of year giving the Huskers a 4-2 lead.
“We felt like if we could stretch the lead we could get them on swing,” Bolt said postgame on the Huskers Radio Network. “Meaning that they would just start being really aggressive at the plate.”
Nebraska kept the pressure on in the third tallying two more runs. For a second consecutive inning, the Huskers mashed a leadoff home run. Max Anderson’s 11th jack of the season followed by doubles from Caron and Gabe Swansen made it 6-2 Nebraska.
Michigan brought a major threat in the home half of the frame. The Wolverines loaded the bases with the aid of a two-out walk and single. Under pressure, Will Walsh found a way to escape the inning unscathed as he snagged a lineout to leave the bases loaded.
“Walsh wasn’t real sharp today, but he was really competitive and he kept at it, too,” Bolt said. “That was huge there that he kept it at 2-0.”
After the Huskers went down in order in the top half of the fourth, Walsh returned to the hill. This time Michigan broke through with a leadoff bomb of its own. Jake Marti took Walsh deep to center to make it 6-3 and Nebraska went to the bullpen for Michael Garza.
The senior got himself into a jam surrendering a double and issuing a walk to put runners on first and second with one out. Garza used a foul popout and a nifty play from Anderson to exit the inning without further damage.
“Sneaky big moment in the game as he stranded that run,” Bolt said of Garza. “Couldn’t get the glove-side fastball going as consistently as he probably would have liked but the breaking ball was a bit better. He stayed in the fight, too. He’s just competitive. Made some pitches when he needed to and it allowed us to stretch the lead.”
Nebraska got a run back in the top half of the fifth off another Caron double and Swansen sacrifice fly. Garza allowed a leadoff single but worked around it to retire the next three Wolverines he faced, sitting the last down via a strikeout.
The Huskers compiled another two-out rally in the sixth. Matthews and Burnham worked walks with two away and Anderson quickly doubled home his second and third RBIs of the day. Charlie Fischer kept the parade rolling with a single that gave Nebraska a 10-3 lead.
A bloop single from Dylan Carey tacked on another for the Huskers in the seventh scoring Cole Evans. An 11-3 advantage was all Nebraska needed as Garza and Jake Bunz shut out Michigan the rest of the way.
Gritty over pretty series
Nebraska finally picked up a Sunday win. That’s its first since February.
By no means was the weekend perfect, but the Huskers made the plays they needed in the clutch to turn a potential finale grind into a blowout. The Big Red came up with key two-out hits and stranded 10 Michigan base runners in the victory.
At the plate, Nebraska limited its strikeouts to seven and hit 5-for-16 (.313) with two outs. That’s night and day compared to the 13 Husker strikeouts and 2-for-12 (.167) showing NU had on Saturday. Additionally, Nebraska stranded six runners on Sunday juxtaposed with 13 on Saturday.
The pitching was on, too. Garza and Bunz didn’t allow a run in six innings of work following Walsh’s early exit. Garza stepped in for a big moment in the fourth after Michigan had made it a 6-3 game and got out of the inning thanks to a glove flip by Anderson at second to tally a fielder’s choice.
Garza got back on track after a couple of rough outings and Bunz looks to be very close to his 2021 self. The lefty struck out four in two scoreless innings.
That all adds up to a gritty series triumph. A win that feels big in the moment and may prove to be even more valuable down the road.
“It’s just a really competitive outing by our group,” Bolt said. “I’d say this may be the best game we’ve played all year on the day we may have needed it the most. That’s a good sign and that’s something that shows what we’ve capable of.”
The great Husker home run chase
The race is on between Matthews and Anderson.
Matthews’ home run in the second inning brought him to 10 blasts for the season. It’s the first time the Huskers have had two batters with double-digit home runs since 2010. Cody Asche and Adam Bailey hit 10 and 18 jacks respectively.
“Breezy (Matthews) has been putting amazing swings on the ball all year long and coming up in big spots,” Bolt said. “Obviously that was huge and then to be able to stretch the lead.”
As much as there is to say about Matthews, Anderson has been on an even crazies tear. The second baseman has slugged 10 homers in 13 games while Matthews has six in that span. This series alone the two combined to hit 9-for-26 (.346) with four home runs and six RBIs.
As it stands, Anderson is on pace for 20 homers and Matthews 18. It’s something Husker fans should appreciate while it last because both of these athletes are bound for the pros sooner than later.
What’s next for Nebraska baseball?
Nebraska returns to Lincoln on Tuesday for a rematch with UNO. The game, first in a five-game homestand, will be broadcast on the Huskers Radio Network and streamed on BTN+.
First pitch is slated for 6:02 p.m. CT.
