Kaminska, Schanaman Quiet PSU Bats in 5-2 Win

Nebraska clinched its weekend series against Penn State with a 5-2 victory over the Nittany Lions on Saturday night at Hawks Field at Haymarket Park.

Nebraska (28-20-1, 12-8 Big Ten) scored five runs on nine hits and an error, while Penn State (24-20, 6-13 Big Ten) had two runs on four hits and two errors.

Jace Kaminska improved to 7-3 on the season with his fifth quality start on the year. The junior allowed two runs on four hits with seven strikeouts and zero walks in seven innings. Shay Schanaman collected his sixth save of the season after pitching two shutout innings with three strikeouts.

Cole Evans led Nebraska at the plate, going 3-for-3 with three RBI and two runs. Dylan Carey was 2-for-4 with an RBI. Max Anderson and Josh Caron each picked up a double, while Gabe Swansen and Efry Cervantes recorded one hit apiece.

Anderson reached on a two-out ground-rule double to right in the first inning, but the Huskers couldn’t capitalize and plate the game’s first run. 

Nebraska grabbed a two-run lead with a pair of hits and two PSU errors in the second. Caron opened the inning reaching on an error and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by Cole Evans, setting up Evans’ RBI single to left-center. Evans moved to second on the play after an errant relay throw before scoring on Carey’s RBI single to center.

Kaminska worked around a two-out single in the top of the fourth to keep the Nittany Lions scoreless through four.

Swansen began the bottom of the fourth with an infield single, while Caron was plunked on the first pitch to place runners on first and second with no outs. Columbus put down his second sacrifice bunt to move the runners to second and third. Evans lifted an 0-2 pitch to center for a sacrifice fly to score Swansen and stretch the lead to 3-0.

Kaminska retired the order in the fifth and sixth innings to keep it a 3-0 game heading into the bottom of the sixth. 

A leadoff double from Caron, followed by Columbus’ third sacrifice bunt of the night had Caron third with one out for the Big Red. Evans came through with an RBI single through the left side to score Caron. Evans advanced two bases when Carey grounded out to third before jogging home on an RBI single to center by Cervantes to expand the lead to 5-0.

A pair of solo home runs by Grant Norris and Josh Spiegel in the top of the seventh brought Penn State within 5-2 through seven.

Schanaman retired the side in the eighth inning and worked around a one-out walk in the top of the ninth to preserve the 5-2 win for the Huskers.

Nebraska and Penn State wrap up the series tomorrow morning at 11:02 a.m. on ESPN2.