Caron, Garza Lead Huskers to Series Sweep

Josh Caron belted two home runs, and Michael Garza dealt six one-hit innings in relief to lead Nebraska to a 9-3 win in the series finale at South Alabama on Sunday afternoon.

The sweep is Nebraska’s first road non-conference series sweep in a traditional three or four-game format since the Huskers swept Hawaii-Hilo to start the 2005 season.

Nebraska (3-3-1) scored nine runs on 13 hits, while South Alabama (4-4) had three runs on eight hits and an error.

Caleb Clark had the no-decision in his second start. The freshman pitched three innings, allowing three runs on seven hits. Garza improved to 1-1 on the season, striking out three Jaguars and allowing only a hit and a walk in the six-inning outing.

Caron led the Huskers at the plate, going 3-for-4 with two homers, a career-high five RBI and a pair of runs. Garrett Anglim went 2-for-5 with a solo home run, while Charlie Fischer was 1-for-2 with a solo home run. Brice Matthews and Max Anderson each had two-hit games with one double apiece.

A two-out double to right-center from Anderson, and a RBI single to right center by Caron had the Big Red out front 1-0 in the first.

Two-out hitting fueled the NU offense in the second, as the Huskers doubled the lead to 2-0. Gabe Swansen reached on a two-out single to left and advanced to third on a wild pitch and a balk, while Cole Evans’ RBI single up the middle plated Swansen.

Anderson led off the third with a full-count walk, followed by Caron crushing a 415-foot two-run homer down the left-field line to expand the lead to 4-0.

The Jaguars plated their first run of the day with a Will Turner’s RBI triple to right, trimming the Husker lead to 4-1 after three innings.

Evans began the fourth with a walk, and Matthews double down the left-field line to set up runners on second and third with no outs. Dylan Carey followed by reaching on a botched catch by the South Alabama second baseman, resulting in Evans to come home. A sacrifice fly by Caron out to right allowed Carey to touch home and stretch the lead to 6-1.

A single and a two-run homer from Joseph Sullivan brought South Alabama within 6-3 through four complete innings.

Nebraska scored in its fifth consecutive inning to start the game when Anglim launched a solo homer over the wall in center to extend the lead to 7-3.

The Huskers tacked on a pair of runs in the top of the ninth with back-to-back homers by Caron and Fischer to grow the lead to 9-3. Caron and Fischer are the first Huskers to hit back-to-back homers since Spencer Schwellenbach and Cam Chick at Illinois on April 3, 2021.

Nebraska travels to Minneapolis next weekend for the Cambria College Classic at U.S. Bank Stadium.