NEB BSB: Sears Dominates in Huskers' 13-2 Win Over Jaguars
Photo Credit: Nebraska Athletics
Brett Sears’ third-straight quality start and four long balls fueled Nebraska to a 13-2 victory over against South Alabama at Hawks Field at Haymarket Park on Saturday afternoon.
Nebraska (8-4) scored 13 runs on 16 hits and left five men on base, while South Alabama (11-4) had two runs on five hits and left three men on base.
Garrett Anglim went 3-for-4 with a pair of doubles at the plate for Nebraska, while Tyler Stone and Josh Caron each added two-run home runs. Clay Bradford slugged a pinch-hit three-run homer, while Rhett Stokes produced three hits and drove in three Husker runs. Case Sanderson finished 2-for-3 with a double and Riley Silva reached base on an RBI single.
Sears allowed two earned runs on four hits with six strikeouts across eight innings of work. The Westphalia, Iowa, native is now 2-0 with a 1.78 ERA across his first four starts this season. He has struck out seven batters in all four of his outings this season and has produced three-straight quality starts. Kyle Froehlich entered the game in the ninth and tossed a scoreless frame.
Sears picked up where he left off last week, striking out the side in the opening frame on just 11 pitches. The right-hander worked around a leadoff double in the second inning, setting down the next three batters in order to keep the game scoreless.
A one-out double from Caron gave Nebraska its first hit of the game, before Sanderson’s RBI single up the middle put Nebraska in front 1-0. Anglim continued the multi-run inning with a knock, followed by Stokes’ RBI single to double the Huskers lead after the second frame.
On the mound, Sears worked through the bottom half of the order without any trouble, producing five strikeouts across the first three innings.
Nebraska added to its lead after Stone’s walk, followed by a wild pitch put him in scoring position. Caron then launched his fourth home run of the season to right field to bring home Stone and push the Huskers’ lead to 4-0.
Nebraska’s offense continued to add to its lead, as Sanderson reached on a hit-by-pitch before Anglim’s double, his second hit of the day, put runners on second and third. Stokes brought home Sanderson with an RBI groundout, followed by Silva’s run-scoring single as the Huskers began to pull away.
The Jaguars got on the board in fifth inning as a leadoff double came around to score on JG Bell’s RBI single to make it 6-1.
However, Evans reached base to begin the sixth inning and Sanderson’s single put runners on the corners for the Big Red. Stokes drove in his third run of the afternoon with an RBI bunt for a base hit to extend the Nebraska lead to 7-1.
Hufft walked to open the seventh inning, before Stone launched a two-run home run to right field. Evans followed that up with a solo homer of his own, his first of the season, to pad the Huskers' lead.
The Huskers continued to pour it on in the eighth inning, as Anglim’s double and Stokes’ single set the table for Bradford’s pinch-hit three-run shot to make it 13-2 with Nebraska ahead. It marked Nebraska’s first pinch-hit homer since Ty Roserberry did so against Purdue in 2019.
Froehlich entered in the ninth inning and retired three of four batters faced to secure the win.
Nebraska and South Alabama wrap up the weekend series tomorrow at 12:05 p.m. CT with the rubber match at Hawks Field at Haymarket Park. Sunday’s matchup can be seen on B1G+, while fans can listen to Greg Sharpe and Ben McLaughlin call the action on the Huskers Radio Network.
