Huskers comfortably take game 2, go for the sweep on Sunday

State College, Pa. – After closing out game 1 against Penn State with seven runs in the final three innings Friday night, the Huskers picked right up where they left off by tallying six runs in the first two innings against the Nittany Lions in game 2 Saturday.

That was backed up by Chance Hroch‘s strongest outing of the season as he scattered five hits over a season-high seven innings.

Hroch improved to 3-0 on the year, allowing only two runs on five hits in a 91-pitch effort, as Nebraska clinched its sixth straight series win. The win was Hroch’s first since March 13, snapping a string of four straight no-decisions for the senior right-hander.

Nebraska’s (17-6) 17-hit offensive attack was paced by Jaxon Hallmark who went 4-for-5 with three runs scored. Cam Chick and Max Anderson both added three hits apiece.

Chick, Hallmark, Spencer Schwellenbach and Luke Roskam all drove in a pair of runs for the Cornhuskers, who have now won 12 of their last 14 games, and remain in first place in the Big Ten heading into Sunday’s action.

NU jumped on Penn State starter Conor Larkin early, scoring five runs in the top of the first. The Huskers jumped to a 2-0 lead three batters in as Joe Acker and Hallmark reached after back-to-back singles before coming home on Schwellenbach’s two-run double.

After a one-out double by Anderson put runners on second and third, Roskam cleared the bases with a two-run single to stake NU to a four-run lead. Brice Matthews continued his hot stretch with an RBI single to make it 5-0 before the Nittany Lions got to the plate.

Chick stretched the Huskers’ lead to 6-0 in the second, by belting a two-out RBI double to score Acker, who opened the frame by reaching on a catchers’ interference and moved to third on a Hallmark single.

Max Schreiber came in to pitch for Hroch in the eighth inning and struck out the side. In his first outing of the season, Ethan Bradford pitched the ninth inning for the Huskers. After a leadoff walk, he induced a fly out to center field, and then struck out the next two batters to close out the win.

Larkin (2-4) took the loss, allowing seven runs – five earned – on nine hits in four innings.

The Huskers will for the road sweep Sunday morning, as right-hander Shay Schanaman (3-0) toes the rubber. First pitch is set for 10 a.m. (central) and the game will be carried on the Learfield IMG College Husker Sports Network and on BTN+.