Will Walsh and Brice Matthews hit their first homers of the season in Nebraska’s series-clinching 15-3 rout over South Alabama on Saturday afternoon at Stanky Field in Mobile, Ala.
Nebraska (2-3-1) scored 15 runs on 14 hits and a pair of errors, while South Alabama (4-3) had three runs on nine hits and five errors.
Matthews led the Huskers at the plate, going 3-for-4 with a double, home run, three RBI and a pair of runs. Max Anderson was 3-for-5 with an RBI, while Dylan Carey went 2-for-4 with a pair of RBI and a run scored. Walsh had a 1-for-4 day with a two-run homer and a pair of walks. Garrett Anglim went 1-for-3 with a double, two RBI and three runs scored. Blake Mozley, Josh Caron, Ben Columbus and Gabe Swansen also had one hit for the Huskers.
Jace Kaminska improved to 1-0 on the season after his 5.1-inning performance on Saturday. The Wichita State transfer allowed three runs on seven hits and a walk while striking out four Jaguars. Jackson Brockett pitched the next 2.2 innings in relief, allowing only one hit in the nine batters he faced. JC Gutierrez made his collegiate debut in the ninth, allowing only one single in the final inning.
The Nebraska offense jumped ahead early with a four-run second on three hits and a pair of Jaguar errors. Walsh reached on a fielding error and Columbus hit a single to right, before Anglim reached on South Alabama’s second error of the inning to plate Walsh.
The Huskers doubled the lead when Swansen hit a 1-1 pitch back up the middle for an RBI single to score Columbus. Carey stepped up to the plate with two outs and the bases loaded and lifted a sacrifice fly deep to right, allowing Anglim to trot on home for NU’s third run of the day. Anderson capped the scoring in the second with an RBI single to left-center, making it a 4-0 game.
South Alabama got one of the four runs back in the bottom half of the second on two hits and a walk. Kaminska retired the first two Jaguars he faced, while a walk, a single and an RBI single from Colson Lawrence plated the Jaguars’ first run of the game.
Nebraska manufactured its fifth run with a double-steal situation in the top of the third. The Huskers had runners on first and third with two outs after Anglim was plunked and Swansen reached on a fielding error. In the next at-bat, Swansen took off for second on a delayed steal attempt, allowing Anglim to race home before Swansen was tagged out in a rundown between first and second.
The Big Red had its lead grow to 7-1 in the top of the fifth after Walsh’s 395-foot two-run blast over the wall in left-center for his first career home run.
The Jaguars scored two of their own in the bottom of the fifth to cut the Husker lead to 7-3 after five innings. A single and a double, followed by an RBI groundout from Hunter Donaldson and Will Turner’s RBI double to right brought South Alabama within 7-3.
A one-out double down the right-field line by Matthews, and an RBI single through the right side from Carey put the Huskers ahead 8-3 after six innings.
The Husker offense blew the game wide open in the top of the seventh, pouring in six runs on three hits and one Jaguar error. An RBI double by Anglim and a two-run fielding error by South Alabama had NU out front by eight, before Matthews added to the lead with a three-run blast over the wall in left.
Carey reached on a one-out single in the ninth and later scored on a wild pitch to make it a 12-run game.
First pitch of the series finale between the Huskers and Jaguars is scheduled for 1 p.m. at Stanky Field. Tomorrow’s game can be seen on ESPN+, while fans can listen to Greg Sharpe and Ben McLaughlin on the Huskers Radio Network.
You must be logged in to post a comment Login