No Quit in This Crew: Huskers Rally Past Early Hole to Take South Alabama Series

There’s just no keeping Will Bolt’s gritty bunch down.

For the second straight day, the Nebraska baseball team overcame an early multi-run deficit, this time erasing a 6-1 hole with a relentless offensive onslaught to take down South Alabama 12-7 on Sunday at Hawks Field.

The comeback victory allowed the Huskers (9-4) to clinch the series over the Jaguars and run their home record to an impressive 8-1 on the young season.

“The resiliency and fight in our dugout is just incredible,” said Bolt. “We were in a big hole against a very good team, but these guys just kept battling like they always do. I couldn’t be more proud of their tenacity.”

It was a balanced and opportunistic attack that fueled NU’s latest rally. Ten of the 12 Husker runs came with two outs, as they consistently extended innings and made South Alabama pay.

After falling behind 6-1, Nebraska began its methodical climb back with a four-run fifth inning, getting RBI hits from Garrett Anglim, Dylan Carey and Rhett Stokes to knot the score.

The Huskers then blew it open with six more two-out runs in the sixth. Cole Evans ripped a two-run double to the gap, giving NU its first lead at 8-6. Carey followed by launching a no-doubt two-run homer to left, part of his three-RBI day.

Stokes stayed red-hot by rapping out three more hits, including a pair of run-scoring doubles. The sophomore infielder is batting an even .400 through 13 games.

“Once our offense got rolling, it just seemed contagious,” said Stokes. “Guys were coming up with big hits left and right. Getting down early has become nothing to this team, we always know we have a chance to get it back.”

Dylan Hufft also continued swinging a hot bat with two more hits, while Tyler Stone reached three times and scored three runs atop the NU order.

The offensive fireworks proved necessary as South Alabama jumped out quickly, with a four-run first and two more in the third to go up 6-1. But Nebraska’s bullpen slammed the door shut from there.

Mason McConnaughey earned the win in relief by firing three scoreless frames with seven punchouts. Tucker Timmerman was also brilliant over the final 2.1 innings, racking up four more strikeouts to lock down his first save.

“Our offense was great, but the real heroes today were the guys out of the bullpen,” said Bolt. “Mason and Tuck came up absolutely huge against a very good-hitting team.”

The series victory capped a wildly successful opening homestand for NU, as they went 8-1 with series wins over Army and the Jaguars. Next up is a two-game midweek set at Wichita State before Big Ten play starts next weekend.

After dropping a pair of tight contests to open the year, the Huskers’ resolve and competitiveness has clearly returned. This weekend only reinforced that Bolt’s squad may be scrappy, but they’re also incredibly tough to put away.