Huskers Roll Past Bears in Home Opener

Nebraska clubbed three homers in a 12-1 run-rule victory in seven innings against Northern Colorado in the home opener at Hawks Field at Haymarket Park on Tuesday evening.

The Huskers have now homered in 10 consecutive games, which is the second longest streak since at least 1999. The Big Red went yard in 11 straight games in the 2004 season, totaling 16 homers in the 11-game stretch.

Nebraska (6-4-1) scored 12 runs on 13 hits without an error, while Northern Colorado (2-9) had one run on five hits and committed one error.

Jackson Brockett improved to 1-0 in his second start this season. The sophomore tossed four scoreless innings, allowing just two hits while striking out five and walking none. Austin Berggren pitched two innings, surrendering one run on one hit and striking out a career-high four batters. Brett Sears tossed the final inning, scattering out a pair of hits with two strikeouts.

NU had five hitters with multi-hit games on Tuesday night. Charlie Fischer was 2-for-4 with a double, a home run, four RBI and two runs scored. Will Walsh went 2-for-3 with a homer, two RBI and a run, while Josh Caron had a 2-for-4 night with a pair of runs. Brice Matthews was 2-for-3 with a double and a run. Max Anderson was a perfect 2-for-2 at the plate with a double, two RBI and two runs. Gabe Swansen also homered, while Dylan Carey and Ben Columbus had one hit apiece.

The Husker offense jumped out to a hot start with four runs on five hits in the bottom of the first, including three doubles. Matthews began the inning with a double and later scored on Anderson’ RBI single through the right side to plate the game’s first run. Fischer doubled home Anderson, before Columbus unloaded a two-RBI double into the gap in left-center, scoring Caron and Fischer.

Brockett retired the Bears in order in the second with a groundout and a pair of strikeouts to hold the four-run lead.

Carey reached in the second by ripping a triple down the right-field line, while Anderson followed with a double down the right-field line to score the freshman and build NU’s lead to five after two innings.

The Big Red tacked on two more runs in the third when Swansen unleashed a 432-foot solo homer over the wall in left-center, and Casey Burnham later stole home in a double steal situation after reaching base with a hit by pitch.

Leading 7-0, the Huskers poured in five runs on three hits in the fourth to stretch the lead to 12 after four innings. Anderson and Caron led off the inning with a walk and a single to set up Fischer’s three-run blast to left. Swansen drew a walk on full count, before Walsh drilled a two-run homer into the landscaping behind the center field wall.

Northern Colorado scored its lone run of the game in the top of the fifth with a two-out RBI single to left by Dominic Palma.

The two teams exchanged a scoreless sixth innings, while Sears kept the Bears off the board in the seventh to preserve the 12-1 win in seven innings for the Huskers.

Nebraska and Northern Colorado wrap up the midweek series tomorrow afternoon, with first pitch set for 2:05 p.m. at Hawks Field.