Nebraska opened this weekend’s series at Minnesota with a 12-5 win over the Golden Gophers on Friday night at Siebert Field in Minneapolis.
The Huskers (19-25, 7-9 Big Ten) scored 12 runs on 14 hits and an error, while Minnesota (12-31, 2-14 Big Ten) had five runs on 10 hits and an error.
Shay Schanaman pitched 4.2 innings in the no-decision on Friday night. Schanaman allowed five runs, four earned, on eight hits and struck out four Golden Gophers in his 12th start this season. Koty Frank improved to 4-0 on the season after dealing 4.1 scoreless innings in relief with four strikeouts and only two hits surrendered.
Garrett Anglim had his first four-hit game of the season, going 4-for-5 with an RBI and a team-high three runs. Griffin Everitt pieced together his third three-hit performance of the year after going 3-for-6 with a double, two RBI and a pair of runs. Leighton Banjoff and Luke Sartori had two-hit games, while Max Anderson hit his seventh home run of the season with a three-run shot in the fourth inning.
Anglim singled through the right side and joined Everitt in a successful hit-and-run play to put runners on first and third with one out in the first. Banjoff broke open the scoring with an RBI single through the right side to plate Anglim, while Colby Gomes was hit by pitch with the bases loaded to score Everitt and make it 2-0.
Minnesota answered with three runs on two hits in the bottom of the second to grab a 3-2 lead. The Golden Gophers had the bases loaded with no outs after two consecutive singles and a walk. A hit by pitch and two consecutive sacrifice flies had the Golden Gophers out front 3-2 after two innings.
The Golden Gophers doubled the lead to 4-2 in the third on a two-out throwing error by the Huskers.
The Big Red jumped on Minnesota to retake the lead back at 6-4 in the fourth, scoring all four of its runs with two outs in the inning. Sartori began fourth with a bunt single down the first-base line, escaping the tag attempt to reach base safely. Sartori later came around to score on Anglim’s RBI single through the left side. Everitt followed Anglim with a single to center to put runners on first and second, while Anderson drilled a three-run homer to left to give the Huskers a two-run lead.
Schanaman worked around a pair of two-out singles in the bottom of the fourth to keep Minnesota off the board and maintain the 6-4 lead for Nebraska.
Gomes and Sartori opened the fifth with back-to-back singles and advanced to second and third after Efry Cervantes’ sacrifice bunt down the third-base line. Gomes raced home on a wild pitch, followed by Sartori sprinting home on a passed ball to stretch the Husker lead to 8-4.
Minnesota got one run back in the fifth after Riley Swenson lifted a 1-1 pitch to left center for a solo home run, bringing the Golden Gophers within 8-5.
Banjoff reached on one-out walk in the sixth before stealing second and advancing to third on a wild pitch. Core Jackson followed with an RBI fielder’s choice to plate Nebraska’s ninth run of the game after Banjoff slid around the tag in a play at the plate.
After replacing Schanaman with two outs in the fifth, Frank retired the first eight Golden Gophers he faced until a one-out double down the left field line in the eighth.
The Huskers tacked on three runs in the ninth after Everitt’s two-RBI double down the right field line made it 11-5, before Anglim jogged home on a wild pitch to plate Nebraska’s 12th run.
Nebraska and Minnesota continue the series tomorrow night Siebert Field. First pitch between the Huskers and Golden Gophers is set for 6 p.m.
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