Huskers Hold On for Series Win

Columbus, Ohio – Jake Meyers allowed one run over seven frames, while Scott Schreiber, Ben Miller and Jake Schleppenbach drove in three runs apiece, as Nebraska jumped out to a 10-run lead and held on to take the rubber game of the series with a 11-9 victory over Ohio State Sunday afternoon.

Meyers picked up his team-leading seventh win, scattering six hits and fanned four, as the junior left-hander was in control most of the afternoon against the Buckeyes. The junior southpaw, who improved to 7-1 on the season, also helped his own cause by scoring twice in the first two innings, as Nebraska raced out to an early 5-0 lead.

Nebraska (26-16-1, 9-5-1 Big Ten) was opportunistic against a Buckeye staff that walked seven and hit five on Sunday, while many of the Huskers' 11 hits came at opportune times.

Nebraska led 11-1 entering the bottom of the eighth, but the Buckeyes fought back against the Husker bullpen, putting up eight runs and getting the tying run to the plate against relievers Nate Fisher and Chad Luensmann.

Consecutive doubles by Noah West and Jalen Washington started the rally before the Buckeyes strung together four straight two-singles, the last being a two-run single by Bo Coolen to chase Fisher, who allowed six runs in 0.2 innings. Luensmann walked the first battled he faced before Shea Murray's two-run single cut the lead to 9-7. Two batters later, Washington made it a two-run game with a two-run single to put OSU (17-26, 5-10 Big Ten) within striking distance.

The Buckeyes continued to threaten against Luis Alvarado in the ninth, as Brady Cherry opened the game with his fourth hit of the day, but Alverado extinguished the rally, setting down the next three Buckeyes in order for his eighth save.

The Huskers took control early, scoring three in the first and two more in the second off OSU starter Reece Calvert (2-1) who allowed five runs in just 1.2 innings.

In the first, Miller delivered the key hit, a two-run single, as part of a 1-for-3 day with three RBI and two walks. Meyers opened the frame with a single to center before a walk and a hit batter loaded the bases with no outs for Miller, who took Calvert's first offering to left for an opposite field single, plating both Meyers and Angelo Altavilla. Schreiber eventually moved to third on a wild pitch and scored NU's third run of the inning on Luke Roskam's double play groundout.

Nebraska chased Calvert in the second, as the Huskers pushed across a pair of runs to extend the lead to 5-0. With two outs and Mojo Hagge on second, Calvert hit Meyers and walked Altavilla to load the bases to end his afternoon. Schreiber greeted reliever Seth Kinker with an infield single to short that plated a run before the Buckeye closer hit Miller to push across the Huskers' second run of the frame.

Calvert allowed five runs on three hits, but also walked two and hit a pair of Huskers as he lasted just 36 pitches.

Ohio State finally got a run off Meyers, who allowed one hit out of the infield through the first 5.2 innings, with a two-out rally in the sixth. Tre' Gantt reached on an infield single before Cherry roped a triple to center for his second hit of the day, allowing Gantt from first to make it a 5-1 game.

Kinker kept the Buckeyes in the game, throwing 4.1 shutout innings, but the Huskers got to the OSU bullpen for five runs in the seventh, taking advantage of four walks, a hit batter and a costly OSU error.  Two walks by Joe Stoll and an error loaded the bases with no outs for NU, which would capitalize with five runs in the frame.  Jesse Wilkening was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded before Schleppenbach drove in two more with an RBI single. Schreiber made it a 10-1 advantage, as he ripped a two-out double to left center.

Schleppenbach, who went 3-for-5 made it a 10-run lead in top of the eighth, driving in Hagge with a RBI double. Hagge had three hits and scored three times, as the bottom three spots in the Husker lineup accounted for four RBI and five runs scored.

Following final exams, the Huskers are back at Hawks Field next weekend, beginning at three-game series with Rutgers. Friday's first pitch is set for 6:35 p.m. and all three games next weekend will be carried on the IMG Husker Sports Network. Tickets for all three games next weekend are available by visiting Huskers.com/Tickets or calling NU Athletics Development and Ticketing at 800-8-BIGRED.