Fueled by strong pitching and timely two-out hitting, Nebraska picked up a 4-1 win vs. Baylor in the season opener at the Shriners Children’s College Showdown at Globe Life Field on Friday afternoon.

Nebraska scored four runs on five hits and committed an error, while Baylor scored one run on seven hits.

Dylan Carey led the Huskers at the plate, going 2-for-4 with two doubles and two RBI. Cayden Brumbaugh went 2-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored, while Garrett Anglim added a solo home run.

Brett Sears earned the no-decision in a 5.1-inning effort while making his first career start with the Huskers. The Westphalia, Iowa, native allowed one run on three hits and struck out seven Bears, matching his career high vs. South Dakota State last season.

Tucker Timmerman recorded the win in his collegiate debut after pitching 1.2 scoreless innings. Kyle Perry dealt a scoreless eighth inning, setting up Casey Daiss’ save in the ninth in his Husker debut.

A pair of walks had runners on first and second with two outs for the Huskers in the second frame, but a flyout to center kept the Big Red off the board. Baylor had two baserunners of their own reach in the bottom of the second after an NU error and a single to left, but Sears’ fifth strikeout of the day kept the game scoreless through two.

Sears added a pair of punchouts in the third and dealt scoreless frames in the fourth and fifth innings to send a scoreless game into the sixth.

Nebraska grabbed a one-run lead in the top of the sixth on two hits, including the Huskers’ first hit of the day. Brumbaugh’s one-out single and a wild pitch put the redshirt sophomore on second with one out for the NU offense. Dylan Carey came through with a key two-out hit for the Huskers, roping a 2-2 pitch into the right-center gap for an RBI double to give Nebraska a 1-0 advantage.

The Bears answered with a run on two hits in the bottom of the sixth to tie the game at one through six innings. Timmerman inherited a runner on first with one out, before Hunter Simmons’ RBI double to the alley in right-center scored the Bears’ lone run.

Riley Silva was plunked and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by Brumbaugh in the top of the eighth, before Carey lifted a two-out RBI double to left to give Nebraska its second lead of the day.

The Huskers tacked on a pair of insurance runs on two hits in the top of the ninth. Anglim smacked a 2-1 pitch over the fence in left to double the lead for the Big Red. Silva reached on a two-out dropped third strike and stole second with two outs, followed by Brumbaugh’s RBI single to right field to stretch the lead to three.

Daiss took the mound in the ninth and worked around a leadoff single to preserve the Big Red’s win on Opening Day and collect his first save with the Huskers.

Nebraska continues play at the Shriners Children’s College Showdown with a matchup at 3 p.m. on Saturday against No. 21 Texas Tech at Globe Life Field. Saturday’s game will be streamed on FloBaseball, while fans can listen to Greg Sharpe and Ben McLaughlin call the action on the Huskers Radio Network.

NEBRASKA WINS GAME TWO AT NEW MEXICO STATE

The Nebraska softball team salvaged a doubleheader split at New Mexico State Friday, posting a 4-1 victory over the Aggies in the nightcap at the NMSU Softball Stadium.

Nebraska (3-3) fell behind 1-0 after one inning of play before scoring the game's final four runs. The victory was Rhonda Revelle's 1,100th win as Nebraska's head coach, while the Huskers handed New Mexico State (5-1) its first loss of the season.

Sarah Harness (1-0) started and earned the win, allowing one run on four hits in 4.0 innings. Emmerson Cope, making her career debut, picked up the save after scattering two hits in 3.0 scoreless innings of relief.

Offensively, Nebraska tied its season high with eight hits. Bella Bacon and Alina Felix each had two hits, including one double apiece. Felix, Sydney Gray and Mckinley Malecha all drove in a run, as did Brooke Andrews with her first home run of the season.

Emily Dix (0-1) took the loss for New Mexico State. Dix allowed three runs on five hits in 2.0 innings.

Nebraska missed a potential big inning in the top of the first, producing three hits but failing to score. Samantha Bland began the game with a single. With one out, she stole second but was thrown out at third attempting to advance after a wild throw from the catcher. Bacon then singled to right field and Emmerson Cope followed with a double, but Bacon was thrown out at home on the play.

Desirae Spearman made the missed chances hurt when she hit a one-out solo home run in the bottom of the first inning to give New Mexico State a 1-0 lead.

Nebraska tied the game in the top of the second. Brooke Andrews began the inning with a walk and scored two batters later on an RBI double to right from Felix. With the game tied 1-1, Malecha reached on an error and Caitlynn Neal was hit by a pitch to load the bases with one out. But Nebraska could not break the tie, as the Huskers left the bases full after a shallow fly out to center and a pop up to the pitcher.

The Huskers scored twice in the top of the third to take a 3-1 lead. NU got its leadoff hitter on base for the third straight inning when Bacon led off with a double down the left field line. Cope was then hit by a pitch to mark the end of the game for Dix. Jaileen Mancha came on in relief and walked Andrews to load the bases. Sydney Gray drove in Bacon with an RBI fielder’s choice to give the Huskers a 2-1 lead. With one out, Felix singled up the middle to load the bases again. Malecha then reached on an RBI fielder’s choice that scored Andrews, and New Mexico State failed to record an out on the play due to an error. Leading 3-1, Nebraska had the bases loaded with only one out but could not add to its lead.

New Mexico State threatened in the bottom of the third with runners at second and third with two outs, but Harness escaped the jam with a ground out to short.

The Aggies had the tying runners on base again in the bottom of the fourth with one out following a pair of walks. But Harness was up to the task again, retiring the next two batters to preserve the 3-1 lead.

Andrews gave Nebraska an insurance run when she hit a two-out, solo home run in the top of the seventh to make it 4-1.

Cope then retired the side in order in the bottom of the seventh to earn her first career save.

Nebraska returns to action at the Troy Cox Classic with a pair of games on Saturday against Montana and Sacramento State.

Post-Game Notes

• The win marked Rhonda Revelle's 1,100th win as Nebraska's head coach. Revelle is just the third active Division I head coach to record 1,100 wins at the coach's current school.
• Nebraska had eight hits in the game, tying its season high.
• Mckinley Malecha started at catcher, her first start of the season and the fourth start of her career. She also produced her first career RBI in the third inning.
• Alina Felix had an RBI double in the second inning, marking her first hit of the season and second career double. Felix finished 2-for-3 to produce her first career multi-hit game.
• Bella Bacon went 2-for-4 with a double. She produced her first multi-hit game as a Husker – and second of her career – while recording her second double this season and second of her career.
• Emmerson Cope made her first career appearance in the circle and earned her first career save.
• Cope and fellow freshmen Caitlin Olensky combined to throw 5.0 scoreless innings in the doubleheader.