Nebraska remains alive in the Big Ten title race, as the Huskers came away with a 4-2 win vs. Indiana on Sunday afternoon at Hawks Field at Haymarket Park.

Nebraska (32-18, 14-7 Big Ten) scored four runs on eight hits and committed an error, while Indiana (28-21-1, 13-8 Big Ten) totaled two runs on six hits and three errors.

Jackson Brockett pitched five strong innings in his second start of the week, allowing just two runs across four hits while striking out three Hoosiers. Drew Christo tossed four shutout innings to move to 2-3 on the season. The junior surrendered just two singles and recorded a pair of strikeouts.

Case Sanderson was 2-for-3 at the plate with a double, an RBI and a run scored. Josh Caron picked up two hits and an RBI, while Cole Evans was 2-for-4 with a double and an RBI. Tyler Stone recorded a double, and Rhett Stokes had a hit and team-high two runs on Sunday.

Stone began the bottom of the second drilling a 2-0 pitch off the top of the fence in center for his eighth double of the season. A nifty behind-the-back play from Indiana’s pitcher on a fielder’s choice in the next at-bat got Stone out in a rundown between second and third to keep the Huskers off the board in the second.

Brockett worked around a leadoff single in the top of the third, while the Husker offense broke through with two runs on a pair of hits and an error to take a 2-0 lead. Stokes reached on a one-out fielding error and moved to second on a balk for the Big Red.

Sanderson broke the scoreless tie with two outs, lifting a 1-2 pitch down the left-field line for an RBI ground-rule double to bring home Stokes from second. An infield single from Caron placed runners on first and third, before a wild pitch allowed Sanderson to jog down the third-base line for NU’s second run in the inning.

Indiana trimmed the deficit in half in the top of the fifth with Jasen Oliver’s solo homer to left. The Hoosiers locked the game at two in the sixth when Tyler Cerny sent a 1-2 pitch into the berm in left field for visitors’ second solo homer of the afternoon.

Christo replaced Brockett on the mound and retired the next three Hoosiers after giving up a single up the middle to the first batter he faced.

Nebraska capitalized on an error from the Hoosiers in the bottom of the sixth to take the lead back at 3-2. Caron reached on a throwing error from the Indiana pitcher, reaching second base on the play to put a runner on second with one out.

The Hoosiers elected to intentionally walk Stone with two outs to put runners on first and second with Saturday night’s hero in Evans at the plate. Evans made the Hoosiers pay for the second game in a row, lacing a 2-1 pitch into left field for an RBI double, scoring Caron and giving the Huskers a 3-2 advantage through six innings.

Christo stranded a pair of Hoosiers in the seventh after a two-out fielding error and single to center field.

Stokes reached on an infield single and later stole second with one out in the bottom of the seventh. Sanderson was plunked on a 1-2 pitch with two outs to put runners on first and second for the Big Red. Caron brought home Stokes from second after lining the first pitch he saw to left field for an RBI single to double the Husker lead to 4-2.

Christo retired the Hoosiers in order in the eighth and ninth innings to clinch the weekend series for the Huskers on Sunday afternoon.

Nebraska wraps up regular-season play next weekend, as the Huskers venture to East Lansing, Mich., for a three-game set at Michigan State on Thursday-Saturday, May 16-18.

Evans Delivers Walk-Off Blast in 10th Inning

Senior Cole Evans came through in the clutch, hitting a three-run walk-off home run on Senior Night to give the Huskers a 5-2 win in 10 innings vs. Indiana on Saturday night at Hawks Field at Haymarket Park.

Evans’ walk-off homer is the first for the Huskers since Steven Reveles vs. Loyola Marymount on March 11, 2016.

Nebraska (31-18, 13-7 Big Ten) scored five runs on seven hits, while Indiana (28-20-1, 13-7 Big Ten) had two runs on six hits.

Evans finished 1-for-5 but ended the game with a three-run homer, his fifth of the season. Tyler Stone and Dylan Carey each launched solo homers for the Big Red. Riley Silva added a pair of hits, while Garrett Anglim and Joshua Overbeek also recorded a knock each.

Mason McConnaughey set career highs with 7.1 innings pitched and 10 strikeouts, allowing five hits while walking just three batters. The right-hander became the third Husker this season to post a 10-strikeout effort, joining Brett Sears and Jackson Brockett. Caleb Clark earned his first win of the season with 2.2 relief innings, retiring eight of 11 batters faced.

Devin Taylor began play with a leadoff homer for the second consecutive game this weekend to give the Hoosiers a quick 1-0 lead in the first.

McConnaughey retired 14 straight at one point across the first five frames. Indiana threatened with a pair of walks and a sacrifice bunt in the sixth, but the sophomore retired the next two Hoosiers to keep it a 1-0 game heading into the bottom of the sixth.

Stone deadlocked at the game at one after smacking a 2-2 pitch for a 339-foot solo homer to right in the sixth inning.

The Huskers grabbed their first lead of the night in the bottom of the seventh when Carey drilled a towering 398-foot solo home run into the berm in left field to give the Big Red the 2-1 advantage through seven innings.

Indiana had a pair of baserunners in the eighth after a hit batter and a full-count walk with one out. The Hoosiers tied the game at two with a first-pitch double off the wall in center. Clark replaced McConnaughey on the mound with runners on second and third and retired the next two Hoosiers to preserve the tie.

Clark worked around a pair of baserunners in the 10th to keep Indiana off the board and send the game into the bottom of the 10th tied at two runs apiece.

Anglim opened the action by ripping a double down the right-field line to place the go-ahead run at second with no outs. An intentional walk to Josh Caron put runners on first and second without an out.

Following a pair of strikeouts, the Husker offense was down to its final out. Evans stepped to the plate and launched the first pitch he saw 415 feet into the batter’s eye landscaping in center to give the Huskers a 5-2 walk-off victory on Saturday night.

HUSKERS POST SEVEN TOP-THREE FINISHES ON SATURDAY

Nebraska track and field added a title, along with seven top-three finishes on Saturday at the Big Ten Outdoor Championships.

Reigning outdoor national champion Axelina Johansson secured the shot put title with 60-8 (18.49m). The last three times Johansson has competed in a conference championship meet, she has brought home the gold. Mine De Klerk (56-4, 17.17m) and Amelia Flynt (54-2 1/2, 16.52m) pitched in top-eight finishes, grabbing third and seventh. The three throwers combined for 18 team points in the event. Kevin Shubert threw 64-11 ¼ (19.79m) in the men’s shot put to take the silver medal. While Shubert finished as runner-up in the shot put at indoor conference, today marks Shubert’s highest outdoor conference meet finish. Cade Moran went a personal-best 61-4 ¾ (18.71m) on his final throw to place fourth.

Three Huskers scored in the men’s long jump, led by Micaylon Moore leaping a personal-best 25-9 ½ (7.86m) on his final attempt to claim runner-up honors. That distance moved Moore to seventh on the all-time list. Jaylen Lloyd also improved his mark on his final jump, going 25-1 ¾ (7.66m) to finish fourth. Kavian Kerr jumped 24-5 (7.44m) to add two team points with a seventh-place finish.

In the high jump, Jenna Rogers secured her sixth top-two conference meet finish. She cleared 5-10 ½ (1.79m) to place second, while Brooklyn Miller tied for eighth with a 5-5 (1.65m).

Taya Skelton posted a 10:23.11 in the 3000m steeplechase to claim third, her highest-career conference meet finish. In the men’s 3000m steeplechase, Sadio Fenner placed 15th with a 9:17.33.

The Big Red put three long jumpers in the women’s final, with Lishanna Ilves leading the way to finish third (20-5 ¼, 6.23m). Velecia Williams placed sixth with a 20-1 3/4 (6.14m) and Ashley McElmurry took ninth with a 19-6 (5.94m).

In the decathlon, Matthias Algarin totaled a personal-best 7064 points to place fourth. On Saturday, he ran a 14.85 in the 110m hurdles, threw a personal-best 122-4 (37.28m) in the discus, tied for second in the pole vault with a clearance of 14-9 (4.50m), went 134-8 (41.06m) in the javelin and ran a personal-best 5:07.56 in the 1500m. Heinerikson added a top-eight finish, finishing seventh with a 6949. Today he ran a 15.47 in the 110m hurdles, threw a 124-7 (37.99m) in the discus, tied for second in the pole vault with a 14-9 (4.50m), threw 159-1 (48.50m) in the javelin and ran a 4:50.49 in the 1500m.

Favour Wanjoku wrapped up the heptathlon in seventh with 4911 points. That marked Wanjoku’s first time scoring individually at a Big Ten meet. Ending Friday with 3022 points, she added 709 in the long jump with an 18-1 ¾ (5.53m), 449 in the javelin with a personal-best 93-7 (28.53m) and 596 in the 800m with a time of 2:37.98.

In the 110m hurdles prelims, Darius Luff cruised to the top-qualifying time with a 13.35, half a second faster than the next finisher. The senior is the defending Big Ten Champion in the 110m hurdles. Brithton Senior, last year’s bronze medalist, clocked a 13.89 in the prelim to add a Husker in tomorrow’s final. Johanna Ilves ran a 13.45 in the 100m hurdles prelim to earn her way to the final.

Nick Bryant (47.05) and Tyrell Pierce (47.39) finished fifth and eighth in the 400m prelims, earning their spots in the final. Meghan Walker crossed the line at 55.47 in the women’s 400m to take 13th. Freshman Jeremiah Smith placed third in his heat and seventh overall with a 10.58 in the 100m to punch his ticket to the final. Niko Schultz covered the track in 1:49.22 in the men’s 800m prelim, qualifying for the final. In the women’s 800m, Berlyn Schutz clocked a 2:10.08 to place 14th. She’ll represent NU in the 1500m final tomorrow. In the women’s 100m, Bariborve Deebom was NU’s top finisher, clocking a 12.08 to place 20th.

In the team race, both the men (57 points) and the women (73.33 points) are in first place entering the third and final day.

ANDREWS NAMED TO BIG TEN ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM

Billie Andrews was named to the Big Ten All-Tournament team on Saturday following the championship game.

In two games at the Big Ten Tournament, Andrews went 6-for-7 with three home runs and six RBIs. She also scored four runs and was hit by a pitch while posting an .875 on-base percentage and a 2.143 slugging percentage.

In a quarterfinal win over Minnesota on Thursday, Andrews went 2-for-3 with two home runs, three runs scored and four RBIs. In Friday's semifinal against Indiana, Andrews was 4-for-4 with a home run and two RBIs. Andrews produced her school-record eighth career multi-home run game against the Gophers and tied her career high with four hits against the Hoosiers.

Big Ten All-Tournament Team
Aaliyah Andrews, Sr., Indiana
Brooke Benson, Sr., Indiana
Alex Cooper, Fr., Indiana
Brianna Copeland, Jr., Indiana
Aly VanBrandt, Fr., Indiana
Courtney Wyche, Gr., Maryland
Lauren Derkowski, Jr., Michigan
Ella McVey, Jr., Michigan
Keke Tholl, Sr., Michigan
Billie Andrews, Sr., Nebraska
Hilary Blomberg, Fr., Wisconsin
Tessa Magnanimo, Gr., Wisconsin

Most Outstanding Player
Lauren Derkowski, Michigan