Nebraska couldn’t overcome an early five-run deficit, as the Huskers fell 11-2 vs. Maryland on Saturday afternoon at Hawks Field at Haymarket Park.

Nebraska (24-12, 7-4 B1G) scored two runs on seven hits, while Maryland (25-15, 6-8 B1G) totaled 11 runs, 12 hits and an error.

Ben Columbus led the Huskers at the plate, going 2-for-3 with a home run and two RBI. Dylan Carey turned in a pair of hits, while Garrett Anglim had a double. Cayden Brumbaugh and Josh Caron recorded one hit apiece.

Mason McConnaughey fell to 4-3 on the season after surrendering five runs on five hits in 1.2 innings. Caleb Clark pitched the next 3.1 innings and allowed four runs on three hits.

Bobby Olsen and Ty Horn tossed one inning each, followed by 1.1 shutout innings from Grant Cleavinger. Tyler Frahm recorded the final two outs for the NU pitching staff.

Maryland led off the game with a first-pitch solo homer to left off the bat of Eddie Hacopian. The Terrapins had the bases loaded with one out after a single, plunked batter and a full-count walk. The lead expanded to three with Jacob Orr’s two-RBI single to center.

The Terrapins tacked on two more runs in the second to grow the lead to 5-0. Consecutive singles and a sacrifice bunt had runners on second and third with one out, while a wild pitch and sacrifice fly to center made it a five-run game.

A walk and a double had runners on second and third with no outs in the fourth, while an RBI groundout to the shortstop plated Maryland’s sixth run of the day.

Columbus homered for the fourth time in the last six games with a solo shot to right to make it a 6-1 game through four innings.

Maryland blew the game open in the top of the sixth behind a two-run homer and a three-run home run to enlarge the lead to 10.

The Huskers had runners on second and third after a single from Caron and a double by Anglim with one out in the bottom of the sixth. Columbus lifted a 2-0 pitch to left for a sacrifice fly, plating Caron to score Nebraska’s second run of the afternoon.

Nebraska had the bases loaded with two outs after two walks and an error in the bottom of the seventh but couldn’t scratch across any more runs to cut into the deficit.

The two teams exchanged scoreless frames in the eighth and ninth innings to clinch the road win for the Terrapins.

Nebraska and Maryland conclude the weekend series tomorrow at 12:05 p.m. at Hawks Field at Haymarket Park. Sunday’s series finale can be seen on B1G+, while fans can also listen to Dave Gustafson and Ben McLaughlin call the action on the Huskers Radio Network.

MICHIGAN TOPS NEBRASKA, 6-5

The Nebraska softball team lost a one-run game at Michigan for the second straight day Saturday as the Wolverines held off the Huskers for a 6-5 victory.

Michigan led 5-0 after three innings, taking advantage of a Husker error to score three unearned runs in a four-run second inning. Down by five, the Huskers pulled to within one at 5-4 with a four-run third inning. Michigan then scored what proved to be the winning run in the bottom of the third when a runner scored from second base on a sacrifice fly.

Nebraska scored one run over its final four innings but the Huskers had chances for more runs. In the fourth inning, Nebraska had two on and no outs but could not score. Then in the fifth, the Huskers had a runner thrown out at home plate to end the inning. NU did score a run in the sixth to trim the lead to one but Nebraska was unable to do anything with a leadoff double in the top of the seventh as Michigan held on for the win.

Emmerson Cope did all she could to keep Nebraska in the game. The freshman hit a three-run homer and had the leadoff double in the seventh inning. Cope went 2-for-3 off the bench with a double, a homer and three RBIs.

Cope also shined in the circle, where she allowed two runs in 4.2 innings of relief. She shut out the Wolverines over the final three innings to give Nebraska a chance.

Sarah Harness (5-4) started and took the loss for Nebraska, allowing four runs (two earned) in 1.1 innings. Hannah George (4-1) earned the win for Michigan, as she allowed only an unearned run in 4.0 relief innings.

Nebraska fell to 25-18 overall with the loss and fell to 8-5 in conference play. Michigan improved to 32-14 and remained in second place in the Big Ten standings with a 13-3 record in conference play.

Michigan took a 1-0 lead with a leadoff home run in the bottom of the first inning. The Wolverines had a chance for more by recording another hit and three walks in the inning, but a double play helped the Huskers escape the inning without any further damage.

The Wolverines then scored four times in the second inning, aided by a Husker error. Michigan had a runner at second before an error put runners on the corners with one out. An RBI single made it 2-0 before Cope came on and got a ground out for the second out. But the error that extended the inning loomed large when Keke Tholl hit a three-run homer to give Michigan a 5-0 lead.

Nebraska came back with four runs of its own in the top of the third. Brooke Andrews was hit by a pitch to start the inning and Bella Bacon followed with a single. The runners moved up to second and third on a ground out and then with two outs, Sydney Gray hit an RBI single to put the Huskers on the board. Cope followed with a three-run homer that cut the lead to 5-4.

Michigan got a run back in an unusual way in the bottom of the third. A leadoff walk and a sacrifice bunt gave the Wolverines a runner at second base with one out. Caitlynn Neal then made a nice catch reaching up above the wall in right field for the second out, but she was late throwing the ball back to the infield and the Michigan runner tagged up and scored all the way from second.

In the top of the fourth, Ava Bredwell and Neal began the inning with consecutive hit by pitches. The pair moved to second and third with one out before a line out marked the second out of the inning. Katelyn Caneda then was ruled out at first base on a bang-bang play which would have scored a run had she been safe.

Nebraska had another near run in the top of the fifth. Gray reached on a one-out error and was at second with two outs. Samantha Bland then beat out an infield single and Gray tried to score from second on the play but was thrown out at home.

The Huskers finally did get a run on another close play in the top of the sixth. An error gave Nebraska a base runner with one out. Brooke Andrews then walked and two batters later Caneda walked to load the bases with two outs. Billie Andrews came to the plate and hit a chopper to shortstop. Brooke Andrews narrowly avoided colliding with the shortstop and Billie Andrews just beat out the throw to first for an RBI single that cut the lead to 6-5. 

In the bottom of the inning, Michigan loaded the bases with one out. But Cope escaped the jam with a ground ball back to the circle which she turned into an inning-ending double play.

Cope then led off the top of the seventh inning with a double.

Nebraska and Michigan wrap up their three-game series on Sunday at Noon.

Post-Game Notes

• Three of Nebraska's four Big Ten losses this season have been by a single run, including both games at Michigan.
• The Huskers fell to 8-5 this season in one-run games.
• Nebraska tied a school record with three double plays in the game. Today marked the ninth time in program history the Huskers have had three double plays in a game.
• Emmerson Cope went 2-for-3 with a double, a homer and three RBIs. Cope set a career high with two extra-base hits and tied her career high with three RBIs.
• In the circle, Cope threw a career-high 4.2 innings. Her previous career-long outing was 4.1 inning against Kansas on April 2.

HUSKERS BLANK COLORADO 1-0

Haley Peterson scored off a corner kick in the second half, as the Nebraska soccer team defeated Colorado 1-0 on Saturday at Hibner Stadium. 

With the win, the Huskers wrap up their spring season with 3-1-2 record and end on a two-match shutout streak. 

Despite a scoreless first 45 minutes, NU held the advantage in shots (10-2), shots on goal (2-0) and corner kicks (8-1). Then, in the second half, the Huskers scored the lone goal of the game for either team as Peterson found the back of the net off a corner kick from Florence Belzile in the 79th minute. 

Overall, the Huskers topped Colorado in shots (22-8), shots on goal (10-3) and corner kicks (11-4) en route to the 1-0 victory. 

HUSKERS SECURE FOUR TITLES ON SATURDAY AT MICHAEL JOHNSON INVITE

Nebraska track and field earned four titles on Saturday at the Michael Johnson Invitational in Waco, Texas, while adding an Olympic Standard.

Axelina Johansson headlined a Nebraska top-four sweep in the shot put, hitting the Olympic Standard and setting a facility record at Clyde Hart Track & Field Stadium. The 61-9 (18.82m) was the best in the field by over two meters. Kalynn Meyer placed second with a 53-3 ¾ (16.25m), Amelia Flynt finished third with a 53-0 (16.15m) and Kellyn Kortemeyer took fourth with a 51-5 ¾ (15.69m).

Dash Sirmon won the men’s javelin with a toss of 237-11 (72.53m) during his season debut. The sophomore placed second at the Big Ten Championships and 13th at the NCAA Championships in the event during his freshman campaign. Tyler Brown threw a personal-best 234-7 (71.50m) to take second and break the all-time list for the first time, coming in at seventh. All three Huskers competing in the women’s javelin finished in the top five, with Mirta Kulisic throwing for 165-4 (50.41m) to take second. Eniko Sara placed third with a 164-2 (50.04m) and Emanuela Casadei placed fifth with a 156-6 (47.70m).

Darius Luff ran a season-best 13.41 in the 110m hurdles to take the title. The senior from Lincoln, Neb. has shaved off time each meet this season. Brithton Senior placed fourth with a 14.07 during his outdoor season debut.

Tyus Wilson cleared 7-1 (2.16m) in the men’s high jump to win the event, while Reid Nelson tied for fifth with a 6-7 (2.01m). Ashriel Dixon pitched in an eighth-place finish with a 6-7 (2.01m). Brooklyn Miller made it over the bar at 5-6 (1.68m) to tie for second in the women’s high jump.

Rhianna Phipps claimed second in the women’s triple jump with a distance of 42-2 (12.85m), while Lotavia Brown took fourth with a 41-10 3/4 (12.77m). Ashley McElmurry added a 41-2 ¼ (12.55m) to finish sixth. In the men’s triple jump, Terrol Wilson placed second with a leap of 52-2 ½ (15.91m) and Micaylon Moore took third with a distance of 50-10 ¾ (15.51m).

Bariborve Deebom led NU in the 100m hurdles with a 13th-place finish. She clocked a 14.25 during her first time running the race at the collegiate level. In the women’s 100m, Seven Hicks ran a 12.17 to place 27th, while Lorenzo Paissan ran a 10.79 in the men’s 100m to place 32nd.

Nick Bryant placed seventh in the men’s 400m and fourth among collegiate competitors with a time of 47.41. Tyrell Pierce added a ninth-place finish with a 47.52. Meghan Walker covered the track in 56.01, taking 15th in the women’s 400m.

The 4x400m relays and men’s shot put were canceled due to lightning in the area.
 
Next weekend, the Huskers will split between the Drake Relays in Des Moines, Iowa April 25-27 and the Prairie Wolf Invitational in Lincoln, Neb. on April 25.

RHULE TALKS OFFENSIVE PERFORMANCE, SPRING PRACTICE OVERALL

Nebraska football coach Matt Rhule met with members of the media following the team’s spring scrimmage on Saturday. 

He highlighted the offense’s performance during the scrimmage. 

“This was the most dominant day we’ve had on offense ever. There might have been eight, 10, 12 touchdowns out there today. Explosive plays, big plays. I think we had one fumble late with the threes, but I thought the ball was protected. In all fairness, we aren’t hitting the quarterback and a lot of plays extend so I’m going to go back and say, ‘Well, that would have been a sack.’ I don’t want to sound the alarm. The ability to throw and catch the ball and guys making catches and plays after the catches has been good. We didn’t run the ball, we had one long explosive run, but on offense by far the best day we’ve ever had since I’ve been here.”

He spoke to the quarterbacks and the addition of the headset. 

“I thought all three quarterbacks played really well. I’d like to watch the tape to be able to talk about specifics, but we started with the ball on the minus-one and had a 99-yard drive. We had some long drives. Quarterbacks excelled at taking what was there. The headset is transformational. It’s transformational what you can do. We’ve got guys who are used to doing that, Sat (Marcus Satterfield) and Glenn (Glenn Thomas) and Garret (Garret McGuire) so I thought the quarterbacks all played really well. But again, with young quarterbacks I’ve got to go back and watch the tape. Are we running around in the pocket with one hand on the ball and we get in the game late in the season and all of the sudden those are going to be fumbles. We talk about limiting the low lights. When you can’t hit the quarterback, it’s hard to tell, but a lot of really good things.”

Rhule discussed the scrimmage overall and the performance of the defense. 

“I yelled at everyone in the middle of the scrimmage last week because I felt like you know when you walk out in the stadium there is no one in the stands and it’s dead, no energy. Great teams, to quote Andy Reid, have to create their own energy. I just didn’t feel the energy from the whole team. So I didn’t yell at the defense. The defense dominated the offense last week. The offense had a couple good things, but when I watched the tape I challenged the defensive staff, ‘Are we playing hard enough or are we satisfied with the result?’... And then I challenged the offense, ‘Hey, are we playing hard enough?’ So I just went back to the guys ‘What caused us to lose last year?’ ‘Thirty-one turnovers and we only took the ball away 14 times.’ ‘What caused us to lose last year?’ ‘Big plays.’ Don’t because we are winning the scrimmage, get caught up in the result. Look at the effort. That being said, today the offense got after the defense it looked like. I’ll probably go back in and say on Tuesday, ‘That was closer than I realized.’ Again, there is a lot of good players not playing, but as I said to them, I don’t think that way. I think if you’re out there playing you’re a Husker and it better be competitive and physical. Before John Bullock was a starter, he was a three, so I’m looking for other guys to make that ascension. I can’t wait to watch this film to see where guys truly are, but we are really hard to play against on defense…”

The Huskers will continue with spring practice on Tuesday. The annual Red-White Spring game presented by FNBO is scheduled for Saturday, April 27 at 11 a.m. (CT). Tickets can be purchased on huskers.com or by calling the ticket office at 800-8-BIG RED.

HUSKERS TOP MSU, 4-2

East Lansing, Mich. - Behind the doubles point and three singles wins, the Nebraska women’s tennis team (12-9, 3-7 Big Ten) defeated Michigan State (10-14, 1-9 Big Ten) 4-2 on Saturday afternoon. 

Action against the Spartans started with doubles. The Huskers came out to a fast start as Ana Zamburek and Anfisa Danichenko topped MSU’s Matilde Morais and Natalie Stasny on Court Two, 6-2. Lucy Loy and Isa Adrover Gallego then clinched the doubles point for the Huskers with their 7-5 win on Court Three over Nicole Conard and Issey Purser. The match moved on to singles with Raphaelle Lacasse and Maja Pietrowicz leading on Court One, 6-5. 

With the 1-0 advantage, NU recorded a pair of singles wins in straight sets. Lacasse finished first on Court One with her 6-2, 6-1 defeat over Morais, and Adrover Gallego topped Purser 6-1, 6-4 to stretch the Husker lead to 3-0. MSU then got a pair of victories as Conard defeated Jillian Roa on Court Six, 6-4, 6-3, and Liisa Vehvilainen topped Danilchenko 7-6 (0), 6-2, and the Huskers led 3-2 with two matches remaining. After dropping the first set, Pietrowicz won the next two sets over Stasny 3-6, 6-3, 6-3, on Court Four to clinch the match win for the Huskers. Zamburek’s match was left unfinished on Court Five as she held the 4-6, 6-3, 5-1 lead.

Up next, the Huskers stay in Michigan for their final regular season match as they face the No. 2 Wolverines on Sunday, April 21 at 12 p.m. (CT). 

Tennis Match Results
Nebraska vs Michigan State
4/20/2024 at East Lansing, Mich.
Nebraska 4, Michigan State 2

Singles competition
1. Raphaelle Lacasse (NEB) def. Matilde Morais (MSUW) 6-2, 6-1
2. Liisa Vehvilainen (MSUW) def. Anfisa Danilchenko (NEB) 7-6 (7-0), 6-2
3. Isabel A. Gallego (NEB) def. Issey Purser (MSUW) 6-1, 6-4
4. Maja Pietrowicz (NEB) def. Natalie Stasny (MSUW) 3-6, 6-3, 6-3
5. Ayshe Can (MSUW) vs. Ana Zamburek (NEB) 4-6, 6-3, 1-5, unfinished
6. Nicole Conard (MSUW) def. Jillian Roa (NEB) 6-4, 6-3

Doubles competition
1. Liisa Vehvilainen/Ayshe Can (MSUW) vs. Raphaelle Lacasse/Maja Pietrowicz (NEB) 5-6, unfinished
2. Ana Zamburek/Anfisa Danilchenko (NEB) def. Matilde Morais/Natalie Stasny (MSUW) 6-2
3. Lucy Loy/Isabel A. Gallego (NEB) def. Nicole Conard/Issey Purser (MSUW) 7-5

Match Notes:
Nebraska 12-9
Michigan State 10-14
Order of finish: Doubles (2,3); Singles (1,3,6,2,4)
T-2:57 
A-77