Huskers Fall in Series Finale on Saturday

Nebraska (34-19, 16-8 B1G) totaled six runs, 11 hits and two errors, while Michigan State (23-28, 11-13 B1G) scored 11 runs on 14 hits.

Case Sanderson led the Huskers at the plate, going 3-for-5 with an RBI and a run. Dylan Carey had a 2-for-4 afternoon, tallying a double, two RBI and a run scored. Josh Caron picked up a pair of hits, while Cayden Brumbaugh, Tyler Stone, Will Jesske and Joshua Overbeek recorded one hit apiece.

Jackson Brockett fell to 2-1 on the season after giving up four runs, three earned, across five innings in two innings of action. Drew Christo allowed two runs on a pair of hits in two innings, while Will Walsh surrendered a pair of runs on three hits in one inning of action.

Bobby Olsen and Grant Cleavinger teamed up to pitch the next inning in relief, while Evan Borst and Kyle Perry combined for 1.1 innings. Trey Frahm recorded the final two outs for the NU pitching staff.

A plunked Spartan sandwiched between a pair of doubles in the opening frame had the Spartans out front 2-0 after the first inning.

A pair of singles placed runners on runners on first and third with two outs in the second, while an infield single to third stretched the lead to three. An errant throw on the pickoff attempt at first base allowed MSU to plate its second run in the inning and extend the lead to 4-0 through two innings.

Nebraska had its leadoff batter reach in three of the first four innings after Caron picked up the Huskers' first hit with a single to the shortstop to begin the fourth. A 3-6-1 double play in the inning extinguished the threat from the Big Red to maintain the four-run lead for the Spartans.

A four-run frame in the sixth inning from the Husker offense cut the MSU lead to 6-4. NU loaded the bases with one out after a trio of singles by Sanderson, Stone and Jesske. Carey laced a 1-2 pitch inside the third-base bag down the left-field line for a two-RBI double to score the Huskers' first two runs of the day.

Gabe Swansen lifted a sacrifice fly to the hill in right field in a pinch-hitting appearance to plate Jesske and make it a three-run game, while a wild pitch brought Carey home from third to bring the Huskers within a pair of runs.

Michigan State immediately got two of the runs back in the bottom of the sixth off four hits, including a pair of RBI singles to stretch the lead back to 8-4 heading into the seventh inning.

The Husker offense scored the for second consecutive inning with a two-run effort in the top of the seventh to trim the deficit in half. Cole Evans drew a leadoff walk, while Brumbaugh reached on a single to left to put runners on first and second with no outs.

Sanderson kept it going for the Huskers, ripping a 2-1 pitch up the middle for an RBI single, scoring Evans and moving Brumbaugh to third. Stone lifted a sacrifice fly to deep left field to plate Brumbaugh and make it an 8-6 game.

The Spartans answered the Huskers' seventh-inning effort with three runs of their own in the bottom of the seventh. A walk, plunked batter and a throwing error on the attempt of throwing out the Spartan advancing to second on a wild pitch scored MSU's first run in the inning.

Consecutive RBI doubles enlarged the lead back to five, as the Huskers faced an 11-6 deficit going into the final two innings.

Nebraska drew two baserunners in the eighth and ninth innings but couldn't cut into the 11-6 lead for the Spartans.