Huskers Sweep Doubleheader, Take Series at Rutgers

Piscataway, N.J. – Following a 3-2 heartbreaking walk-off loss on Friday afternoon at Bainton Field, the Nebraska baseball team (28-16, 9-6 Big Ten) responded with a doubleheader sweep of the Rutgers Scarlet Knights (22-22, 6-9 Big Ten) on Saturday. The Huskers completed the sweep with an 8-4 victory, outscoring the Scarlet Knights 16-5 in the double dip.

Prior to this weekend, the Huskers had dropped a Big Ten road series opener six times and had went on to win a series just once. The last time NU won a conference road series after dropping the opener was in 2012, when the Huskers lost 10-2 at Ohio State on Friday before taking a doubleheader from the Buckeyes on Sunday.

After playing right field in the first game of Saturday’s doubleheader, sophomore Jake Meyers started on the mound in game two and tossed 6.0 shutout innings in his fifth start of the year, improving to 3-1 in the win. The left hander held the Scarlet Knights without a hit over the first five innings and allowed just two hits on the day, while striking out three. Meyers also contributed at the plate with a double and one run scored.

NU’s offense recorded 15 hits in the series finale, one short of matching its season high. Four different Huskers notched multiple hits, including three each from Ben Miller, Scott Schreiber and Jake Schleppenbach. Schreiber also recorded a team-high three RBIs, with two coming on his 10th homer of the year in the fifth. Schreiber is the first Husker to record double digit homers in a season since Chad Christensen hit 10 in 2012.

After winning game one, 8-1, the Husker offense went right back to work with three runs in the first inning of game two on four hits. Placzek and Ryan Boldt started the game with back-to-back singles and both scored on a one-out double by Miller, with Boldt scoring all the way from first on the play. Schreiber followed with a single before Fish plated Miller with a sacrifice fly.

Meyers walked leadoff hitter R.J. Devish in the bottom of the first, but then sat down 10 straight Scarlet Knights before Tom Marcinczyk worked a one-out walk in the fourth. Meyers helped his own cause in the third when he roped a double down the left-field line and later scored on a RBI fielder’s choice off the bat of Schreiber, extending NU’s lead to 4-0.  

NU’s offense stretched its lead to 6-0 in the fifth on Schreiber’s homer. Miller worked a four-pitch walk to open the frame and Schreiber followed with a towering shot to left field that just stayed inside the foul pole. Boldt then led off the sixth with a deep blast to right center field, his fifth homer of the year and NU’s 12th multi-home run game of the season.

Meyers took a no hitter into the sixth and Rutgers broke it up with a leadoff single by Devish. Christian Campbell followed with a single and following a fly out, RU loaded the bases following a walk to Nick Matera. Meyers was able to escape the threat with a 1-4-6 inning-ending double play off the bat of Mike Martinez, keeping NU on top 7-0.

NU tacked on one more run in the eighth, with Boldt picking up his second RBI of the contest on a bases loaded walk with two outs. Trailing 8-0, the Scarlet Knights didn’t go away without a fight in the bottom of the ninth. Down to their last out and the bases empty, Rutgers rattled off five straight hits with two outs, including a base-loaded three-RBI double from Campbell.

Nebraska now has the week off for finals on campus, and returns to action next weekend for a three game series at Michigan State that opens on Saturday and runs through Monday.