The Nebraska baseball team thumps Northwestern 18-5 to secure the weekend sweep
The Nebraska baseball team (21-11-1) took care of Northwestern (5-25) on Sunday to complete the three-game sweep with an 18-5 win. A strong start from Will Walsh, followed by seven home runs from the Husker offense led them to a convincing victory in this game.
Seven home runs from the Big Red offense marks the most in a game since they hit nine against Chicago State in 1999.
Game Recap
Will Walsh walked out onto the mound to start this game for Nebraska and dealt three quick outs to make way for the bats.
The Husker bats took control of this game quickly. In the first inning of this game, Max Anderson drove in the first run with a double, and Gabe Swansen knocked home two more with a double of his own.
The runs didn’t stop. In the second, Brice Matthews hit a two-run home run to center and made it a 5-0 ballgame. Josh Caron then drove in a single run in the third to make it a six-run lead.
Matthews went yard for a second time with a solo shot to left in the fourth inning and the offense kept rolling. Charlie Fischer hit another solo homer in the fifth inning, followed by Caron driving in another to make it 9-0.
The Wildcats got a run back in the top of the sixth inning, however, the bottom half is where the hot bats exploded. With two runners on, Max Anderson sent a ball over the right field wall. Garrett Anglim followed the junior with a solo home run of his own over the right field wall. After a recorded out, Gabe Swansen then sent a third home run over the right field wall to make it 14-1.
Swansen hit another homer in the seventh inning, and the Big Red led 18-1.
On defense, Nebraska saw cameos from Jake Bunz, Brett Sears and Caleb Clark who worked some clean innings. However, Clark allowed a solo home run in the eighth and it was an 18-2 ballgame. Will Rizzo stepped into the game to close the ninth inning and he allowed three runs, but the Huskers won 18-5.
A Historic day for the offense
The Nebraska offense hit seven home runs in this game. That is the most home runs by a Husker team since 1999 when the Big Red hit nine against Chicago State.
Brice Matthews and Gabe Swansen both hit two home runs and drove in three and six runs respectively. The other three home runs came from Max Anderson, Garrett Anglim, and Charlie Fischer.
Nebraska’s offense has shown no shortage of explosiveness this season, but in a game they were expected to win, they exceeded expectations.
Will Walsh settling in
One of the biggest problems that Nebraska had early in the 2023 season was a lack of starting pitching on Sunday. Will Walsh has been able to change that narrative. The redshirt sophomore has put together strong starts in three of his last four starts.
In this one, Walsh went five innings, allowing just two hits and no earned runs. The starter struck out five batters in his five innings, and threw 77 pitches. It’s hard to say if the coaching staff felt he needed to be pulled, or if a 9-0 lead influenced the decision. Either way, Walsh has started to earn his name as a starter for this team.
What’s next?
The Huskers will host Creighton for a Tuesday matchup at 7:02 p.m. The game will be LIVE on Big Ten Network and the Huskers Radio Network (LINK HERE).
