No. 23 Nebraska dropped its first weekend series of the season, as the Huskers fell 6-4 at Rutgers on Sunday afternoon at Bainton Field.

Nebraska (23-10, 6-3 Big Ten) scored four runs on nine hits and an error, while Rutgers (22-13, 3-6 Big Ten) totaled six runs on 10 hits.

Ben Columbus and Case Sanderson pieced together two-hit games for the NU offense. Dylan Carey had a solo homer, while Cayden Brumbaugh, Cole Evans, Garrett Anglim and Riley Silva recorded one hit each.

Drew Christo pitched two innings, allowing one run on two hits in his eighth start of the season. Will Walsh dropped to 3-2 on the year after surrendering three runs on five hits in 2.2 innings of work. Evan Borst walked the lone batter he faced, while Jalen Worthley pitched 2.2 innings in relief for the Huskers.

Worthley allowed two runs on three hits, while Rans Sanders recorded the final two outs for the NU pitching staff.

Nebraska broke the scoreless tie in the second, plating a run on a pair of hits to grab a 1-0 advantage. Columbus singled through the left side, while Anglim drew a full-count walk to put runners on first and second with no outs.

Silva loaded the bases with a one-out infield single, setting up Brumbaugh’s sacrifice fly to right field that scored Columbus.

Evans led off the third with a full-count walk and later came around to score on Columbus’ RBI single to right-center, doubling the Big Red’s lead to 2-0.

The Scarlet Knights got the run back in the bottom of the third after a leadoff walk, followed by an RBI double down the left-field line.

Carey opened the fourth inning with a 409-foot solo homer into the left-field berm to give the NU offense its third consecutive inning with a run across the board.

Rutgers locked the game at three in the bottom of the fourth with two runs behind four hits in the inning. A one-out solo homer brought the Scarlet Knights within a run, while three consecutive singles brought the game to a tie at three through four innings.

A leadoff single, followed by two plunked batters with two outs loaded the bases for Rutgers in the fifth inning. Borst replaced Walsh on the mound and walked the lone batter he faced on four pitches to give the Scarlet Knights a 4-3 lead. Worthley took the place of Borst and induced a groundout to second to get out of the jam for the Huskers.

The Huskers threatened in the seventh after two-out singles from Evans and Sanderson had runners on first and third for the Big Red, but the Scarlet Knights escaped the damage with a groundout to the shortstop.

Rutgers doubled the lead to 5-3 in the bottom of the seventh with a solo home run from Johnny Volpe.

Anglim’s one-out single through the left side, followed by a four-pitch walk to Carey had runners on first and second for the Huskers in the eighth. Consecutive passed balls brought home Anglim and brought Nebraska within 5-4 with runners on first and third with two outs. A groundout to shortstop prevented the Big Red from plating the tying run.

The Scarlet Knights added an insurance run in the bottom of the eighth with an RBI fielder’s choice to third, which stretched the Rutgers lead to 6-4.

Nebraska returns to action with a midweek tilt vs. Creighton at Hawks Field at Haymarket Park on Tuesday, April 16. First pitch between the Huskers and Bluejays is scheduled for 6:05 p.m.

NU RALLIES TO TOP RUTGERS, WIN SERIES

The Nebraska softball team erased a late five-run deficit and rallied for a 7-6 win over Rutgers in eight innings Sunday in a series-clinching victory for the Big Red.

Nebraska trailed 6-1 before tying the game with a five-run sixth inning. In the eighth, Peyton Cody drove in Billie Andrews with the winning run with a two-out RBI single. Sarah Harness then worked around a two-out walk in the bottom of the eighth to wrap up the win.

With the victory, Nebraska improved to 25-16 on the season and moved to 8-3 in Big Ten play, including a 5-1 record on the road.

Cody finished with two RBIs including the game-winner. Samantha Bland tied the game with a two-out, two-run double in the sixth inning and was 3-for-5 with a pair of RBIs. 

Nebraska finished with 11 hits in the game and overcame stranding 11 base runners.

The comeback was made possible thanks to a terrific relief outing from Harness. She entered the game in the fourth inning and allowed one run on just two hits in 5.0 innings. Harness (5-3) retired 11 of the final 12 batters. Kaylin Kinney started and allowed five runs (three earned) on three hits in 3.0-plus innings.

Mattie Boyd (15-7) took the loss, throwing a complete game. She gave up 11 hits but only three of the seven runs she allowed were earned. Rutgers fell to 26-18 with the loss and dropped to 8-6 in conference play.

Nebraska gave up four runs in the first three innings despite only allowing just one hit - a single.

Meanwhile Nebraska was frustrated by early missed opportunities offensively. The Huskers stranded two runners in the first inning and left another runner in the second. NU then stranded runners at second and third in the third inning.

Trailing 4-0 after three innings, Caitlynn Neal cut the lead to 4-1 when she led off the top of the fourth inning with a home run. Bella Bacon followed with a single and Ava Bredwell drew a one-out walk to put runners on first and second with one out. After a fly out, Katelyn Caneda lined a single to right field and Sydney Gray thought she had scored on the play but was ruled out at home plate to end the inning.

Rutgers answered the run in the bottom of the fourth. A double, a bunt single and an RBI single plated a run as the Scarlet Knights pushed their lead to 5-1.

A solo home run then pushed the lead to 6-1 after five innings.

Nebraska tied the game with five runs in the top of the sixth aided by a pair of Rutgers errors. Neal drew a leadoff walk before an error put Huskers on first and second with no outs. Gray then hit an RBI double off the wall in left to score Neal and cut the lead to 6-2. With one out, Billie Andrews won a 10-pitch at bat by drawing a walk to load the bases. Another error on an RBI fielder's choice from Caneda cut the lead to 6-3 and kept the bases loaded. A fielder's choice brought home another run to make it 6-4. Bland then hit a two-run double to center field that scored pinch runner Mckinley Malecha and Billie Andrews to tie the game.

After Harness retired Rutgers in order in the bottom of the seventh, Billie Andrews drew a one-out walk in the top of the eighth. Caneda then put down a sacrifice bunt to move Andrews to second base with two outs before Cody came through with an RBI single over the center fielder's head that gave Nebraska its first lead of the game at 7-6. Bland and Brooke Andrews followed with singles to load the bases but the Huskers could not add to their lead.

In the bottom of the eighth, Harness retired the first two batters before issuing a two-out walk. With the tying run on first base and the winning run at the plate, Harness coaxed a pop out to end the game.

Nebraska remains on the road next weekend, when the Huskers travel to Ann Arbor for a three-game series with the Michigan Wolverines.

Post-Game Notes

  • Nebraska played its seventh extra-inning game of the season, including its second straight Sunday extra-inning game.
  • The Huskers improved to 4-3 in extra-inning games this season.
  • By rallying from a five-run deficit, the Huskers have now come from behind in 15 of their 24 wins this season.
  • NU won when trailing after five innings for just the third time this season.
  • Caitlynn Neal homered, her second home run in four games. In her last five games, Neal has produced 10 RBIs.
  • Billie Andrews scored both the game-tying and game-winning runs.

CROCKETT TAKES SECOND AT HAWKEYE INVITE

Nebraska's men's golfer Harry Crockett fired a final-round 68 to finish with a career-best 203 (-10) for a Nebraska career-best second-place finish at Hawkeye Invitational in Iowa City on Sunday.

Crockett, a junior from Oxted, England, came up two shots shy of Wisconsin's Cameron Huss, who won the individual title with a 54-hole score of 201 (-12) on the par-71, 7,197-yard layout of the Finkbine Golf Course. Kansas City's Lucas Dutartre, Zach Little from Central Arkansas and Edouard Cereto from Southern Illinois finished in a three-way tie for third at 207, four stroke behind Crockett.

Crockett's final round was steady and strong from start to finish, as he carded four birdies to go along with 13 pars and just one bogey on the day. His final-round 68 (-3) followed rounds of 67 and 68 on Saturday.

Fellow Husker junior Hamish Murray added a solid round of his own on Sunday with a 69 (-2) to climb to a tie for 51st at 218 (+5) in the individual standings. Murray's final round included a team-best six birdies on Sunday. Sophomore Davis Johnson put up Nebraska's No. 3 score of the round with an even-par 71 to finish in a tie for 69th at 221 (+8), while fifth-year senior Will Marshall added Nebraska's final counting score in the five-count-four format with a 75 to tie for 45th overall at 217 (+4) over 54 holes.

Sophomore Quinn Yost managed a 76 to tie for 57th at 219 (+6) for the tournament, while senior Gentry Scheve carded a final-round 69 to tie for 32nd overall at 215 (+2) while playing as an individual outside Nebraska's lineup.

The Huskers put together three consistent rounds of 283, 284 and 283 to finish at 850 (-2) for the tournament, finishing in seventh place. Nebraska defeated the highest ranked team in the field, No. 65 Kansas, by nine strokes.

Wisconsin won the team title at 840 (-12), while TCU and Southern Illinois tied for second at 845 (-7). Illinois State and Central Arkansas tied for fourth at 846, while the hosts from Iowa closed just three shots in front of the Huskers in sixth at 847 (-5).

Nebraska will take a week off from competition before returning to action at the 2024 Big Ten Championship in Columbus, Ohio (April 26-28).

Hawkeye Invitational
April 13-14, 2024
Iowa City, Iowa
Finkbine Golf Course (Par 71, 7,197 Yards)

Final Team Results
1. Wisconsin - 279-279-282=840 (-12)
T2. TCU - 274-289-282=845 (-7)
T2. Southern Illinois - 289-282-274=845 (-7)
T4. Illinois State - 280-284-282=846 (-6)
T4. Central Arkansas - 275-288-283=846 (-6)
6. Iowa - 283-282-282=847 (-5)
7. Nebraska - 283-284-283=850 (-2)
T8. Northern Illinois - 278-292-281=851 (-1)
T8. South Dakota State - 287-280-284=851 (-1) 
10. Kansas City - 291-286-278-855 (+3)
11. Creighton - 285-291-282=858 (+6)
12. Kansas - 286-292-281=859 (+7)
13. Wichita State - 283-294-288=865 (+13)
14. Missouri State - 283-295-290=868 (+16)
15. Drake - 285-306-283=874 (+22)
16. Murray State - 286-301-291=878 (+26)

Final Individual Results
1. Cameron Huss, Wisconsin - 66-66-69=201 (-12)
2. Harry Crockett, Nebraska - 67-68-68=203 (-10)
T3. Lucas Dutartre, Kansas City - 68-72-67=207 (-6)
T3. Zach Little, Central Arkansas - 67-73-67=207 (-6)
T3. Edouard Cereto, Southern Illinois - 71-67-69=207 (-6)
T6. Dain Richie, Southern Illinois - 71-70-67=208 (-5)
T6. Ben Sluzas, Northern Illinois - 67-73-68=208 (-5)
T6. Parker Wisdom, Illinois State - 71-68-69=208 (-5)
T9. Five Golfers, 209 (-4)

Nebraska Individuals
2. Harry Crockett - 67-68-68=203 (-10)
*T32. Gentry Scheve - 72-74-69=215 (+2)
T45. Will Marshall - 68-74-75=217 (+4)
T51. Hamish Murray - 75-74-69=218 (+5)
T57. Quinn Yost - 75-68-76=219 (+6)
T69. Davis Johnson - 73-77-71=221 (+8)

*competed as an individual outside Nebraska's lineup

HUSKERS WRAP UP BRYAN CLAY INVITATIONAL

Nebraska track and field finished the weekend at the Bryan Clay Invitational with a third all-time top-ten time.

Berlyn Schutz climbed to seventh on the all-time list in the 1500m with a 4:17.31. She placed 45th in the invitational section. The freshman from Lincoln, Neb., broke the mile school record during the indoor season with a time of 4:37.45.

Trevor Acton ran in the Open C section of 5000m, placing 12th with a personal-best 14:30.94.

Niko Schultz competed in the 400m, clocking a 47.91 to finish 27th. 

Hayley Trotter crossed the line at ??4:41.31 in the Open C 1500m to take 29th. On the men’s side, Sadio Fenner placed 63rd with a 3:59.32 while Colby Erdkamp placed 78th with a 3:59.83.

Lindsey Blehm had a time of 4:39.96 in the Open B 1500m to place 78th.

Next, the Huskers will compete at the Michael Johnson Invitational in Waco, Texas April 19-20.

BIG RED BEST BOILERMAKERS

West Lafayette, Ind. - The #62 Nebraska men’s tennis team (15-8, 4-3 Big Ten) reached the most single-season wins for the program in 13 years with its 5-2 victory over the Purdue Boilermakers (7-13, 2-5 Big Ten) on Sunday. In their final road match of the regular season, the Huskers got an early lead with the doubles point and delivered in singles to secure their fourth conference win.

The conference dual began with doubles at the Schwartz Tennis Center. Nationally ranked #81 Anton Shepp and Nic Wiedenhorn claimed the first win for NU, taking down Soham Purohit and Juan Velasquez, 6-3, on Court One. Shepp and Wiedenhorn were down 2-3 early, but took four-straight games to claim the match. Shunya Maruyama and Leo Linquet partnered at No. 3 doubles and defeated Mujtaba Ali-Khan and Daniel Labrador, 6-4, to clinch the doubles point for the Big Red. On Court Two, Lars Johann and Calvin Mueller faced Stefan Simeunovic and Henrik Villanger, but the match was left unfinished at 5-3.

Headed into singles with the lead, five Huskers won their first sets for a strong start. Johann took the first singles win for the Big Red, defeating Velasquez with a dominant 6-2, 6-1, on Court Four. Next to finish was Shepp, playing the No. 2 slot against Purohit. Shepp took down the Boilermaker 6-2, 6-2, to make the match score Nebraska 3, Purdue 0. Linquet faced Labrador on Court Five and clinched the match for the Big Red with a 6-1, 6-4 win. On Court One, Mueller battled Simeunovic, but fell 4-6, 2-6. Maruyama was next to finish at No. 3 singles, defeating Villanger 6-1, 6-3. Hietaranta took on Ali-Khan on court Six, and fell in a tiebreaker, 6-3, 4-6, [8-10]. The final score of the match was 5-2, Nebraska.

With the win, the Huskers improved to 15-8 (4-3 Big Ten), which is a program best for the last 13 seasons. Fifteen wins is the most for the Big Red since 2011, when the team finished 15-13 (1-5 Big 12). Doubles duo Shunya Maruyama and Leo Linquet also improved to 9-4 in the No. 3 slot, also holding a 3-1 Big Ten record. Maruyama improved to 13-5 in spring singles, and Shepp reached a 9-2 record at No. 2 with his win over Purohit.

Up next, the Huskers return home for their final regular season matches against Big Ten foes #1 Ohio State and Penn State. The Big Red host top-ranked Ohio State on Friday, April 19, with first serve set for 5 p.m. (CT). On Sunday, April 21, the Huskers will celebrate Senior Day at their final home match. Nebraska will take on Penn State at noon (CT) to conclude the regular season. Both matches will be held at the Sid and Hazel Dillon Tennis Center, where parking and admission are free. Live stats will be available on Huskers.com, as well as live updates and content posted on X/Twitter at @HuskerMTennis.

#62 Nebraska 5, Purdue 2

Singles competition:
1. Stefan Simeunovic (PUR) def. Calvin Mueller (NEB)- 6-4, 6-2
2. Anton Shepp (NEB) def. Soham Purohit (PUR)- 6-2, 6-2
3. Shunya Maruyama (NEB) def. Henrik Villanger (PUR)- 6-1, 6-3
4. Lars Johann (NEB) def. Juan David Velasquez (PUR)- 6-2, 6-1
5. Leo Linquet (NEB) def. Daniel Labrador (PUR)- 6-1, 6-4
6. Mujtaba Ali-Khan (PUR) def. Roni Hietaranta (NEB)- 3-6, 6-4, 10-8

Doubles competition:
1. #81 Nic Wiedenhorn/Anton Shepp (NEB) def. Soham Purohit/Juan David Velasquez (PUR)- 6-3
2. Calvin Mueller/Lars Johann (NEB) vs. Henrik Villanger/Stefan Simeunovic (PUR)- 5-3 (Unfinished)
3. Leo Linquet/Shunya Maruyama (NEB) def. Mujtaba Ali-Khan/Daniel Labrador (PUR)- 6-4

HUSKER DROP MATCH TO #16 OSU ON SENIOR DAY

Lincoln, Neb. - Graduate Maja Pietrowicz secured a singles win, and the Huskers battled, but it was not enough as the Nebraska women’s tennis team (11-8, 2-7 Big Ten) dropped NU’s final home match of the season to #16 Ohio State (15-6, 8-2 Big Ten) 4-1 on Senior Day.

Action against the Buckeyes started with doubles play. Up first, Isabel Adrover Gallego and Lucy Loy battled Alessia Cau and Madeline Atway on Court Three, but fell 6-0. Then, a close match on Court Two ended with a tiebreak victory for Irina Cantos Siemers and Akanksha Bhan, 7-6 (7-0) over Anfisa Danilchenko and Ana Zamburek, securing the doubles point for the Buckeyes. No. 75 Raphae¨lle Lacasse and Pietrowicz’s match on Court One was left unfinished. The duo was ahead in a seven-point tiebreak at 2-0, as the teams were tied 6-6 when OSU got the doubles point. 

To start singles play, Lacasse held her own on Court One, but it was not enough as #15 Cantos Siemers won 6-4, 6-4 for Ohio State’s second win. Pietrowicz (Court Four), Zamburek (Court Five) and Jillian Roa (Court Six) all won the opening set on their respective courts before Pietrowicz finished first and bested OSU’s Teah Chavez, 6-3, 6-4. On Court Three, Adrover Gallego dropped the opening set, but won the second set in the tiebreak to force a deciding third set. Then, OSU tallied its third point of the match as Shelly Bereznyak defeated Danilchenko on Court Two, 7-5, 6-0. 

Up next, the Huskers hit the road for their final matches of the regular season. NU will face Michigan State on Saturday, April 20 at 10 a.m. (CT) in East Lansing, Mich., and will meet Michigan on Sunday, April 21 at 12 p.m. (CT) in Ann Arbor. Live stats and streaming will be available on huskers.com.