Washington plated six runs in the seventh and eighth innings, as Nebraska fell 6-3 in game two of Saturday’s doubleheader against the Huskies at Hawks Field at Haymarket Park.

Nebraska (4-8, 0-2 B1G) scored three runs on six hits and committed three errors, while Washington (7-8, 2-0 B1G) totaled six runs, seven hits and an error.

Cayden Brumbaugh went 2-for-3 with a homer and three RBI. Dylan Carey was 1-for-4 with a double, while Joshua Overbeek, Tyler Stone and Will Jesske recorded a single each.

Will Walsh dropped to 2-2 on the season after allowing three runs, two earned, on three hits in seven innings. The southpaw struck out a season-high nine batters and didn’t issue a walk. Carson Jasa surrendered three runs, one earned, and recorded an out, while Caleb Clark pitched the final 1.2 innings for the Big Red.

After five scoreless frames, the Huskers took a 2-0 lead off the bat of Brumbaugh. Devin Nunez reached on a fielder’s choice, before Brumbaugh unloaded a two-run homer into the left-field berm to give Nebraska a two-run advantage through six innings.

Washington answered with three runs of their own in the top of the seventh to grab a 3-2 lead at the seventh-inning stretch. A plunked batter and throwing error had runners on first and second with no outs, setting the table for Malakhi Knight’s go-ahead three-run homer to left.

The Huskies tacked on three more runs in the top of the eighth to stretch the lead to 6-2. A leadoff homer down the right-field line doubled the lead to 4-2 for Washington. A pair of NU throwing errors on a failed pickoff attempt and a ground ball allowed the Huskies to score two more runs and made it a 6-2 game.

Overbeek was hit by the pitch and moved to second on a groundout, while an RBI single into the left-center gap from Brumbaugh brought home Overbeek and had the Huskers within three. Cael Frost drew a full-count walk to bring the tying run to the plate in the bottom of the eighth, but the Huskers couldn’t bring home any more runs to cut into the deficit.

Washington worked around a two-out single from Jesske in the bottom of the ninth to seal the sweep of Saturday’s doubleheader over the Big Red.

Nebraska and Washington wrap up the series tomorrow afternoon at Hawks Field at Haymarket Park. First pitch between the Huskers and Huskies is set for 12:02 p.m. CT.

Early Deficit Costs Huskers in Game One

Nebraska couldn’t climb out of an early five-run deficit, as the Huskers fell 11-5 vs. Washington in game one of Saturday’s doubleheader at Hawks Field at Haymarket Park.

Nebraska (4-7, 0-1 B1G) scored five runs on 10 hits, while Washington (6-8, 1-0 B1G) totaled 11 runs, 15 hits and two errors.

Gabe Swansen went 2-for-3 at the plate with a home run and three RBI. Rhett Stokes was 2-for-4 with an RBI, while Tyler Stone was 1-for-4 with an RBI double. Devin Nunez, Cayden Brumbaugh, Cael Frost, Dylan Carey and Hogan Helligso had one hit piece.

Ty Horn dropped to 0-2 on the season after allowing seven runs on seven hits across four innings. Jalen Worthley surrendered three runs on three hits in two outs, while Casey Daiss tossed 1.1 shutout innings in relief. Gavin Blachowicz pitched a season-high three innings, allowing just one run on two hits with three strikeouts.

Washington sprinted out to a 5-0 lead behind a trio of hits in the top of the first inning. A plunked batter and a bloop single down the left-field line had runners on first and second with one out, before a two-RBI double into the left-center alley had the Huskies ahead 2-0.

A full-count walk, followed by a first-pitch three-run homer into the home run terrace in right field gave Washington a five-run lead in the first.

Frost drew a walk, and Carey was plunked to put runners on first and second for the Big Red with no outs in the bottom of the second. Swansen came through with an RBI single to right, scoring Frost and making it a 5-1 game through two innings.

The Huskers plated three runs on four hits in the bottom of the fourth to cut the deficit to 5-4. Consecutive singles from Frost and Carey, followed by an RBI double down the left-field line by Stone brought the Big Red within three. Swansen lifted a 3-2 pitch to deep center, allowing Carey to come home and moving Stone over to third.

An RBI bunt single from Stokes scored Stone and made it a 5-4 contest after the first four innings.

Washington responded immediately with five runs on six hits in the top of the fifth to grow the lead to 10-4. A leadoff double, followed by consecutive singles had the bases loaded with no outs for the Huskies. Back-to-back two-RBI doubles enlarged the lead to 9-4, while a two-out RBI double to right-center grew the lead to six for the Huskies.

Consecutive two-out hits, capped off with an RBI double to center stretched the lead to 11-4 in the top of the seventh for Washington.

Swansen belted a solo homer into the left-field berm in the bottom of the eighth for his second homer and team-leading 12th RBI of the season.

Huskers Claim 13th Run Rule Win on Saturday

The No. 20 Nebraska softball team capped an undefeated Saturday with a 12-4 six-inning victory over Northern Colorado at Bowlin Stadium.

The Huskers (17-6) won their first two home games of the season on Saturday by a combined score of 26-5. Nebraska’s offense scored a run in nine of its 10 innings in the two games, producing 24 hits. Against Northern Colorado, the Huskers had 12 hits, including five doubles and two homers.

Nebraska’s 12-4 victory marked the Huskers’ 13th run-rule win of the season and the 13th time NU has scored double-digit runs through the season’s first 23 games. Ava Kuszak, Jordyn Bahl and Olivia DiNardo each had two hits for the Big Red. Kuszak was 2-for-3 with two doubles and an RBI, Bahl finished 2-for-2 with a double and three RBIs and DiNardo went 2-for-4 with a homer and three RBIs.

In the circle, Hannah Camenzind (2-2) earned the win after allowing just one unearned run in 2.0 innings of relief. Kylee Magee started and did not allow an earned run in 2.0 innings, and Bahl closed out the game with 2.0 perfect innings that included four strikeouts.

Isabelle DiNapoli (5-3) took the loss for Northern Colorado (7-11).

The Bears loaded the bases in the top of the first, but Magee retired three straight to keep them scoreless. 

NU made the score 2-0 in the bottom of the first. Bahl drew a one-out walk and scored on a two-run homer from DiNardo.

Northern Colorado came back with a four-run third inning to take a 4-2 lead. All four runs were unearned and each run scored with two outs.

The Huskers pulled within one at 4-3 in the bottom of the third. Kuszak doubled and scored on a Bahl double. 

Nebraska then exploded for six runs in the fourth inning. Kacie Hoffman got things started with a one-out single. Abbie Squier followed with a two-out single before Hannah Camenzind ripped an RBI double down the left field line to tie the game. Kuszak was then hit by a pitch before Bahl delivered a two-run single that gave Nebraska a 6-4 lead. Samantha Bland added an RBI double and DiNardo followed with an RBI single as Nebraska grabbed a 9-4 lead.

The Huskers added two more runs in the bottom of the fifth. Lauren Camenzind homered with one out to make it 10-4. Squier followed with a walk and scored on a two-out RBI double from Kuszak.

Nebraska wrapped up the run-rule victory with a single run in the bottom of the sixth. Bella Bacon was hit by a pitch with one out, advanced to second on a passed ball and scored on an RBI single from Alina Felix.

The Huskers will play two games tomorrow, March 9 – one against Northern Iowa at 4 p.m. (CT) and one against South Dakota State at 6:30 p.m. (CT). Both games will be streamed on B1G+ and can be heard across the Huskers Radio Network. 

Postgame Notes

  • Lauren Camenzind hit her first home run as a Husker.
  • The Huskers have scored 10+ runs in 13 games this season and have earned 13 run-rule victories through 23 games.
  • NU only required 10 innings to grab its two victories on Saturday, and it scored in nine of the 10 innings.