After a tough 9-7 loss on Friday to open the series, Nebraska baseball bounced back in a big way, sweeping Saturday’s doubleheader against Northwestern.
“We haven’t been very good in doubleheaders this year, so it was good to see us turn it around,” head coach Will Bolt said postgame.
The Huskers dominated game one, run-ruling the Wildcats 14-4 after seven innings. Game two was closer, but Northwestern couldn’t stop Nebraska’s momentum. The Huskers finished the series finale defeating the Wildcats 5-2.
Here are the five takeaways from Nebraska’s victories:
Swansen is back in the groove
Senior left fielder Gabe Swansen has faced adversity this season. Swansen went from being on the 2024 Big Ten Tournament and All-Stillwater Regional Teams to being benched after the first few weeks of the season.
Swansen grabbed the opportunity by the horns once back in the starting lineup. In the first game of the day, he hammered a grand slam in the bottom of the first to give the Huskers a 4-0 lead. Northwestern’s pitching avoided laying Swansen one over the plate for the remainder of the contest, as he drew two walks.
“I’m happy he was able to make good on that,” Bolt said, adding, “Another run producer in our lineup there that can help cap off innings.”
Swansen carried his heat to game two. The left fielder added another two hits and an RBI. It will be tough for Bolt to keep Swansen out of next week’s lineup.
“He had a great weekend,” Bolt said. “We’ve seen some things that, you know, it’s our fourth year with Gabe [Swansen], so we start to feel it when he looks like it’s going to click for him.”
One of Horn’s better outings
Sophomore right-handed pitcher Ty Horn has struggled on the mound this season, carrying a 7.36 ERA into Saturday. Horn posted a reputable performance in game one, picking up his first win of the season. It was only the third time the sophomore had gone at least five innings on the mound.
“Horn has been pretty abysmal in first innings,” Bolt said. “That has really hurt him in his outings. He made some adjustments with [pitching] coach [Rob] Childress prior to the game, just to get him in a different frame of mind.”
Horn’s day capped off after five innings. He threw 93 pitches and allowed three earned runs off five hits. Although there was some damage, Horn minimized the potential blowups. The most impressive part of his performance was his ability to get out of a bases-loaded jam in the second, without allowing any runs to score.
“It was like screw this,” Horn said postgame. “I need to do something about this. Finally got over it today, so it was pretty fun.”
If Horn can start going five-plus innings regularly, a significant amount of weight will be lifted off the bullpen.
“Hopefully, that is something that can carry over,” Bolt said.
Collective batting in game one
The Huskers’ bats smacked the ball around the yard in game one of the doubleheader. Nine different Nebraska hitters recorded a hit, posting a .407 batting average.
“The offense is amazing,” Horn said. “It’s so much easier to pitch with an 11-run lead.”
The Huskers didn’t just get on base with hits. The savvy plate approach added another 10 baserunners, nine coming from walks drawn, and one from being hit by a pitch. Once Nebraska got traffic on, it came through. The collective batting average was strong, but the .538 average with runners in scoring position ensured a dominant performance by the Huskers.
Brockett follows Horn with a powerful performance in game two
Similarly to Horn, senior left-handed pitcher Jackson Brockett (4.68 ERA) has faced challenges the second time through the order. In Saturday’s game two, Brockett was at his best, following Horn with his first victory of the season. The senior lefty dealt five robust innings. It was his longest outing since his first start of the season.
“The curveball was really working,” Brockett said postgame. “We stayed with that, tried to get ahead early, and the defense worked and got off the field.”
Brockett finished allowing no runs off two hits, and five strikeouts on 68 pitches. Both hits allowed were doubles, yet it didn’t faze Brockett. From the second to the fifth inning, Brockett retired 11 straight Wildcats.
“I just go out there and try to compete as best as possible,” Brockett said. “Do what I know I can do.”
Runs left off the board in game two
Nebraska’s high percentage at the plate with runners in scoring position in game one didn’t translate to game two. The Huskers went 2-for-15 for a.133 average in the 5-2 win. Although Nebraska struggled in this category, the Huskers pulled through.
Nebraska (19-21, 7-11) will remain in Lincoln for Tuesday’s matchup at 6 p.m. against Kansas. Then, they will hit the road for a three-game series at Maryland next weekend.
“This team is really good at flushing the negatives and bouncing back,” Brockett said. “We showed that today.”
sports@dailynebraskan.com
