10-Run Second Inning Powers Huskers to 17-6 Win

Lincoln - Trailing after the top of the first inning for the second straight game, the Nebraska baseball team (25-14, 7-2 Big Ten) exploded for a combined 15 runs in their first two at-bats, including a 10-run, 11-hit second inning en route to a 17-6 victory over the Omaha Mavericks on Wednesday at Hawks Field.

Austin Darby paced the NU offense with a three-hit, four-RBI day at the plate. While Steven Reveles produced his first career four-hit game and Michael Pritchard was 3-for-4 with three runs scored and three RBIs.

Eight NU batters drove in runs in the victory, while five Huskers recorded multi-hit outings and six NU players scoring at least twice.

The Huskers last scored 10 runs in a inning during a 15-2 win over Northern Colorado on March 24, 2010 and the Huskers last plated 17 runs in a game at Ohio State on April 15, 2012, when they completed a doubleheader sweep with a 17-9 win.

On the mound, Kyle Kubat went 6.0 inning to earn his third win of the season. He gave up five runs on the night (three earned) on seven hits and one walk, while striking out a season high five.

For the second straight day, the Huskers found themselves in an early hole when the Mavericks capitalized on a pair of fielding errors in the top of the first to take a 2-0 lead.

In the home-half of the first, Darby connected on a two-run double down the right field line on a 1-1 pitch to plate both Pritchard and Jake Placzek, tying the contest at 2-2. Reveles then sent the first pitch he saw to right field to score Darby, giving the Huskers a 3-2 lead. After stealing his fourth base of the year, Reveles scored on a Headley single through the left side and Headley then scored on a fielding error later in the inning to give NU a 5-2 lead.

The Huskers put the contest out of reach in the second inning when 16 batters came to the plate for the first 10-run inning since 2010, giving NU a 15-2 lead. The Huskers produced 11 hits in the inning, with Pritchard, Darby and Reveles each notching a pair of hits. The Huskers sent 10 batters to the plate before the first out of the inning was recorded and had the bases loaded following a one-out single by Headley before UNO reliever Cole Volkens ended the frame with consecutive outs.

A pair of RBI singles from UNO’s Brett Bass and Tyler Splichal combined with a Caleb Palensky sacrifice fly to right scored three runs in the top of the third, as the Mavs attempted to chip away at Nebraska’s lead. The Huskers pushed their lead to 17-5 in the fifth inning when Headley scored on a wild pitch and Pritchard drove in Ryan Boldt with a RBI single.

The Mavs scored once more in the eighth on a pair of doubles, but were unable to get any closer.

The Huskers continue their five-game homestand on Friday night when they begin a three-game series against the Northwestern Wildcats at Hawks Field. Game one is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. and will be televised live on the Big Ten Network.