Matthews Homers Twice vs. Bison

Nebraska climbed back within a run after facing a five-run deficit in the first but couldn’t complete the comeback, as the Huskers suffered a 6-5 setback vs. North Dakota State on Wednesday night at Hawks Field at Haymarket Park.

Nebraska (24-17-1) totaled five runs on seven hits and an error, while the Bison (16-26) had six runs on seven hits and one error.

Kyle Perry dropped to 0-1 on the season after allowing five runs, three earned, on five hits in one inning. Drew Christo collected three strikeouts and gave up an unearned run on one hit in two innings of relief. Jackson Brockett tossed a scoreless inning in relief, before Brett Sears and Corbin Hawkins teamed up to pitch five perfect innings. Sears dealt three hitless innings with four strikeouts, while Hawkins threw two hitless innings with a pair of strikeouts.

Brice Matthews led the Huskers at the plate, going 2-for-4 with two homers, three RBI and two runs. Five other Huskers recorded a hit, highlighted by solo home runs from Griffin Everitt and Cole Evans. Charlie Fischer recorded a double, while Max Anderson had one single.

NDSU sprinted out to a five-run lead with five runs on five hits and an error in the opening frame. Two consecutive singles set up a three-run homer by Druw Sackett to give the Bison a 3-0 lead before the first out. The Bison tacked on a pair of more runs on sacrifice flies to plate their fourth and fifth runs of the night.

A leadoff single in the top of the third, followed by a passed ball and a wild pitch grew the lead to 6-0 for the Bison.

Nebraska scored two runs in the bottom of the third to trim the deficit to four. Back-to-back solo homers from Evans and Matthews scored the Huskers’ first two runs of the night.

Brockett silenced the NDSU offense in the top of the fourth, before Everitt lined a two-out solo homer down the left-field line in the bottom of the fourth to make it a 6-3 game.

A pair of walks in the bottom of the seventh placed runners on first and second with one out for the Huskers, but Carson Jacobs struck out the next two Huskers to maintain the three-run lead for the Bison through seven innings.

Dylan Carey reached on a one-out fielding error, before Matthews drilled a 2-1 pitch over the wall in center for his second homer of the night, bringing the Huskers within 6-5 in the bottom of the ninth.

Nebraska travels to College Park, Md., as the Huskers take on Maryland in a three-game series on Friday-Sunday, May 5-7.