Courtesy Nebraska Athletics
No. 24 Nebraska baseball trailed by five runs in the seventh, but surged back to defeat No. 12 USC 8-7 in 10 innings Friday at Hawks Field.
In the bottom of the 10th with Rhett Stokes at first and no outs, Mac Moyer laid down a bunt. Trojans (30-9, 13-6 Big Ten) pitcher Sax Matson fielded the ball and threw wildly to first. Stokes scored the game-winning run, capping a furious Cornhuskers (29-9, 13-3 Big Ten) comeback.
Nebraska trailed 5-0 after three innings to USC. After RBI doubles by Jett Buck and Drew Grego in the bottom of the sixth cut the Trojans’ lead to 5-2, USC responded with a pair of runs in the seventh, rebuilding its lead to 7-2 going to the bottom of the seventh.
But then in the bottom of the eighth, the comeback began, as Joshua Overbeek crushed a three-run home run over the right-field fence, cutting the Trojans lead to 7-5. Then in the bottom of the ninth, a Buck sacrifice fly pulled Nebraska to within one. Later in the inning, Dylan Carey scored on a wild pitch, tying the game and setting up extra innings.
J’Shawn Unger (5-1) earned the win out of the bullpen, throwing a hitless 10th out of the bullpen. Buck paced the NU offense, hitting 3-for-4 with two RBI and a pair of doubles. Moyer also had three hits for the Huskers.
Game two of the series between Nebraska and USC is Saturday at 2 p.m. Pregame coverage begins at 1:30 p.m. on KLIN.