Roskam Powers Huskers to 15-5 Win

Luke Roskam matched a career high with six RBI, including a sixth-inning grand slam, to power Nebraska to a 15-5 win over Rutgers Sunday afternoon.
Roskam went 3-for-5 and scored three times, while Jaxson Hallmark scored four runs and stole three bases for the Huskers (22-11), who bounced back from a 4-2 loss to Indiana earlier Sunday.  

Nebraska used a five-run sixth inning to break open a 3-1 lead despite a 40-minute weather delay during the inning. Prior to the delay, the first two Huskers reached on a hit batter and a walk from Scarlet Knights starter Brent Teller. Kyle Muller came in and retired the first hitter he faced before walking Hallmark to load the bases. The reliever then uncorked a wild pitch to push across one run before Spencer Schwellenbach coaxed a walk to reload the bases. Roskam sent Muller’ next offering over the fence in left for a grand slam to make it an 8-1 game.

That was more than enough for Husker starter Chance Hroch, who allowed three runs on eight hits over 5.2 innings for the win. The senior right-hander, who improved to 4-1 on the season, ran into trouble in the sixth, as Rutgers (17-16) strung together three straight two-out hits to make it 8-3 before Max Schreiber came in and got the Huskers out of the jam.

Schreiber tossed 2.1 innings of shutout relief, while Nebraska tacked on one run in the eight before adding six more in the ninth against the Rutgers bullen. In the eighth, Cam Chick’s RBI single plated Hallmark, who reached on an error before stealing both second and third. In the ninth, the Huskers sent 10 men to the plate with Schwellenbach’s two-run double and a two-run single by Brice Matthews the key hits in the frame.

Nebraska had opportunities in the first two innings against Teller (3-3) before capitalizing in the top of the third.  Hallmark deliver a one-out double to left to start while Schwellenbch coaxed a walk before a wild pitch moved both runners into scoring position. Roskam made it 2-0 as he hit a ground-rule double to right center. Max Anderson’s single put runners on the corners before Teller’s errant pickoff attempt, one of five Rutgers errors on the day,

allowed Roskam to score from third.

Hroch took a shutout into the fifth before the Scarlet Knights got on the board. Sam Owens was by a pitch to open the frame, more to third on Mike Nyisztor’s double to left and came home on Richie Schiekofer’s ground out to second.

The Huskers will complete the weekend pod with another matchup against Rutgers Monday morning. First pitch is set for 10 a.m. (central) and will be carried on the Learfield IMG College Husker Sports Network and on BTN+.