Bolin's Walk-Off Single Evens Series with Gophers

Nebraska evened the series against Minnesota with Robby Bolin’s walk-off RBI single in the bottom of the ninth inning, as the Huskers won 5-4 against the Gophers in front of a season-high crowd of 6,785 on Saturday afternoon at Hawks Field at Haymarket Park.

Nebraska (23-24, 10-13 Big Ten) scored five runs on nine hits, while Minnesota (22-23, 8-15 Big Ten) recorded four runs, eight hits and an error.

Bolin was 2-for-5 with a double and two RBI, while Devin Nunez went 2-for-2 with a run scored. Tyler Stone drove in three runs and homered in a 1-for-3 afternoon, and Cayden Brumbaugh, Gabe Swansen, Dylan Carey and Will Jesske tallied one hit apiece.

Ty Horn surrendered four runs on seven hits across six innings while striking out six and walking none. Tucker Timmerman improved to 1-1 on the season after dealing three scoreless frames with one hit and a strikeout.

The Gophers scored the first run of the afternoon behind three hits in the top of the second inning. Minnesota had runners on second and third with one out after a single and double down the left-field line. An RBI single to the right-center alley gave the Gophers a 1-0 lead through two innings.

A two-run homer into the left-field berm extended the lead to 3-0 for Minnesota in the top of the third inning.

Nebraska evened the score with a trio of runs behind two hits in the bottom of the fourth. The Huskers had runners on first and second with one out after Brumbaugh reached on a fielding error and Swansen’s single to left field.

Stone locked the game at three by blasting a 412-foot three-run homer over the wall in right-center field.

Nunez began the bottom of the fifth inning with a full-count walk and advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt from Hogan Helligso. A wild pitch moved the freshman to third, before Bolin lifted a 1-0 pitch down the left-field line for an RBI double to give the Big Red a 4-3 lead through five innings.

The Gophers answered immediately in the top of the sixth to tie the game back up at four. A two-out single and a stolen base had a runner on second, while an RBI single to left field plated the tying run for the visitors.

After a clean slate in the top of the seventh, Timmerman blanked the Gophers in the eighth and ninth innings to send a 4-4 game into the bottom of the ninth inning.

Carey opened the bottom of the ninth with a full-count walk, while Jesske lifted a single to left field to put runners on first and second with one out. Helligso was plunked on the first pitch to load the bases for the Big Red.

Facing an 0-2 count, Bolin laced an RBI single through the right side to plate Carey and give Nebraska a 5-4 walk-off win on Saturday afternoon.

Nebraska and Minnesota conclude the series tomorrow afternoon at Hawks Field at Haymarket Park. First pitch between the Huskers and Gophers is set for 1:02 p.m. on B1G+.