Nebraska baseball overcame an early eight-run deficit, scored 11 straight runs at one point to win at Purdue, 11-9, in the opening game of the regular season finale series in West Lafayette, Ind.
The win all but wraps up for the Cornhuskers a bid to next week’s Big Ten Tournament. Nebraska’s victory boosts its record to 27-26 overall and 14-14 in the Big Ten, giving NU sole possession of ninth, a half-game ahead of Rutgers with two games to go in the regular season.
All that comes after a disastrous start for Nebraska. Against NU starter Tucker Timmerman, the Boilermakers (30-22, 10-18 B1G) tallied five runs in the second and three in the third to build an 8-0 lead. All eight runs were charged to Timmerman, who only completed two innings.
But the Huskers responded in the top of the fourth. A Dylan Carey home run got Nebraska on the board. Robbie Bolin drove in a run with a single to left. Then with the bases loaded and two out, Cayden Brumbaugh drove a double to right-center, scoring three. Gabe Swansen followed with a double to left-center, scoring Brumbaugh to cap a six-run inning.
The Huskers resumed their rally in the top of the fifth. With runners ar first and third and no one out, Robbie Bolin laid down a safety squeeze bunt to drive in Case Sanderson. Riley Silva followed with an RBI double to center to tie the game at eight.
The score stayed tied at eight until the top of the eighth. Joshua Overbeek led off the inning with a double to right-center. Brumbaugh fouled out on a bunt, but Overbeek still tagged and moved to third. Swansen was hit by a pitch, and his pinch hitter, Jaron Cotton, moved to second on a passed ball. Carey followed with a two-run single to left, giving Nebraska its first lead of the game. Nunez doubled to center to score Carey and push the lead to 11-8 Purdue scored one in the bottom of the eighth, but drew no closer.
It was a banner night for the Huskers’ bullpen. Caleb Clark, Pryce Bender, Grant Cleavinger, Drew Christo (2-2) and Luke Broderick combined for seven innings, allowing five hits and one unearned run while striking out five. Carey and Brumbaugh both had two hits and three RBI each to pace the Nebraska offense.
The Huskers continue their series at the Boilermakers Friday at 3 p.m. Pregame coverage begins at 2:30 p.m. on KLIN.