Huskers Fall to No. 7 Auburn on Sunday
Nebraska fell 12-3 to No. 7 Auburn in the rubber match of the weekend series on Sunday afternoon at Plainsman Park in Auburn, Ala.
Nebraska (5-5) scored three runs on eight hits and an error, while Auburn (9-2) totaled 12 runs, seven hits and an error.
Dylan Carey went 2-for-4 at the plate with a double, picking up his 200th and 201st career hits to become the 28th Husker in program history to reach the 200-hit club. Joshua Overbeek was 2-for-3 with two walks and a pair of runs scored.
Case Sanderson was 2-for-5 with a double, while Mac Moyer and Preston Freeman recorded one hit each.
Gavin Blachowicz dropped to 1-1 on the season after allowing five runs, one earned, on four hits with two walks and a pair of strikeouts in two innings. Kevin Mannell surrendered a run on two hits with five strikeouts in four strong innings of relief.
Braxton Stewart recorded two outs while allowing two runs on a walk and hit batter. Auden Pankonin replaced Stewart in the seventh and walked two batters and gave up a hit without recording an out. Jace Ziola and Cooper Grace saw action in the eighth without picking up an out, before Caleb Clark posted the final three outs for the NU pitching staff.
Auburn capitalized on a leadoff double in the bottom of the first with a two-out RBI single down the right-field line that gave the Tigers an early 1-0 lead.
The Tigers jumped on an NU error in the bottom of the second to plate four unearned runs and extend the lead to five through two innings. A fielding blunder on a potential double-play attempt resulted in runners on second and third, while a sacrifice fly lifted to right-center field doubled Auburn’s lead to 2-0.
A full-count walk and wild pitch had runners on second and third, before a three-run homer blasted to right field grew the lead to 5-0 through two innings.
Nebraska loaded the bases in the top of the fourth after Sanderson’s leadoff single, a walk to Overbeek and Carey’s hit-by-pitch. An RBI fielder’s choice from Cole Kitchens brought home Sanderson to score the Big Red’s first run of the afternoon. Devin Nunez followed the RBI fielder’s choice with a sacrifice fly to left field, scoring Overbeek and bringing the Huskers within 6-2 through four innings.
The Tigers took advantage of four free passes in the bottom of the seventh to plate a pair of runs and expand the lead to 8-2. A plunked batter and two walks loaded the bases with two outs, while a two-RBI single to left field made it a six-run game.
The Big Red had runners on second and third with no outs in the top of the eighth after a single from Overbeek and Carey’s double to left field. Max Buettenback lifted a sacrifice fly to the alley in right-center field that allowed Overbeek to score from third and trim the deficit to 8-3.
Auburn piled on four runs on eight free passes without a hit in the bottom of the eighth to enlarge its lead to 12-3.
Nebraska begins a nine-game homestand with a midweek matchup against Omaha on Tuesday, March 3. First pitch between the Huskers and Mavericks is set for 1:30 p.m. on B1G+.