Grego’s Walk-Off Single Pushes Huskers Past Maine

Drew Grego went 3-for-5 and capped off a three-run rally in the bottom of the ninth with a walk-off single through the left side to give Nebraska a 6-5 win against Maine on Friday night at Hawks Field at Haymarket Park.

Nebraska (12-5) scored six runs on 11 hits, while Maine (2-14) totaled five runs, five hits and two errors.

Grego led the Huskers with a 3-for-5 night that included a triple and game-winning RBI. Mac Moyer went 2-for-5 with a run scored, and Case Sanderson was 2-for-3 with an RBI and a run scored. Nunez drove in two runs on one hit, while Jett Buck had a two-hit night.

Ty Horn worked 5.1 innings, allowing two runs on three hits with six strikeouts. Caleb Clark surrendered one run in one inning of relief, before Kevin Mannell and Braxton Stewart teamed up for 1.1 scoreless innings. J’Shawn Unger improved to 3-1 on the year and allowed two runs across two hits in 1.1 innings of work.

Nebraska grabbed a 1-0 lead in the first when Moyer singled, reached second on a throwing error and scored on Sanderson’s single to center.

Maine flipped the script in the top of the third with a two-run homer that gave the Black Bears a 2-1 advantage.

Grego singled and Stokes was hit by a pitch in the sixth to set the table for Jeter Worthley’s sacrifice bunt, which moved both runners up before Moyer grounded out to score Grego and tie the game at two.

Maine retook the lead in the seventh with a play at the plate on an RBI fielder’s choice to the shortstop that made it a 3-2 game.

Grego ripped a leadoff triple down the right-field line to begin the bottom of the eighth inning, setting up Worthley’s RBI fielder’s choice that tied the game again at three going into the ninth.

Maine pushed across two more in the top of the ninth to take a 5-3 lead, as a bases-loaded walk and a wild pitch plated a pair to give the Black Bears a two-run advantage.

Nebraska answered immediately in the bottom of the ninth with three runs on three hits. Sanderson was hit by a pitch and Buck singled through the right side to put runners on first and second. Cole Kitchens flied out to deep right that advanced the runners, while Nunez’s two-RBI single through the right side tied the game at five.

Nunez swiped second and advanced to third on a wild pitch, and Grego lined a 3-2 pitch through the left side for a walk-off RBI single to give the Huskers a 6-5 win.

Nebraska and Maine continue the series tomorrow with a doubleheader at Hawks Field at Haymarket Park. First pitch between the Huskers and Black Bears is set for 1 p.m. on B1G+.