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Nebraska baseball stays alive in Big Ten Tournament with stunning walk-off win

Joseph Maierby:Joseph Maier•05/20/25•

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Nebraksa baseball vs. Michigan State
Photo Credit: Nebraska Athletics

Nebraska baseball (29-27, 16-15) opened the Big Ten Tournament with a walk-off 5-4 win over Michigan State (28-26, 13-18) on Tuesday. Multiple self-inflicted mistakes cost them early, but the Huskers ripped victory from the jaws of defeat to keep their season alive.

Robby Bolin was the hero, smacking an RBI single in the bottom of the 10th to bring Dylan Carey home and win the game. Down to its final out in the ninth, Nebraska was gifted a miraculous fielding error in right field that allowed the tying run to come home.

“I think tonight was kind of a microcosm of what our season’s been,” head coach Will Bolt said postgame. “Not perfect, not always aesthetically pleasing, but all I can ask as a coach is that these guys give everything they have, and they do.”

Ty Horn (5.66 ERA) started on the mound but struggled out of the gate, lasting just two frames. The right-hander gave up three runs on two hits and walked three. The Huskers dipped into the bullpen in the third, as Drew Christo and Luke Broderick combined to keep the Spartans scoreless over the final five innings, giving up just three hits.

Nebraska struggled early against Big Ten Pitcher of the Year Joseph Dzierwa (2.31 ERA). The Huskers tallied just four hits through the first five innings before finally breaking through in the sixth. Case Sanderson led the way at the plate with three hits and two RBIs, while Bolin added two hits and the winning RBI.

“Knowing what kind of pressure it is, I think it’s really helped us a lot,” Bolin said of the walk-off. “We’ve been able to just move through those moments and calm your breath, calm your mind down and do what you do.”

Here is a recap of the victory:

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Both teams come out firing

Michigan State wasted no time jumping out to a lead. Horn gave up a leadoff single before a sacrifice bunt advanced Ryan McKay to second. Sam Busch, Michigan State’s best slugger, capitalized with an RBI double to give the Spartans an early 1-0 advantage.

The Huskers responded with a run of their own in the bottom of the first. Riley Silva led off with a double before Cayden Brumbaugh reached on a fortunate slow-roller to first base that bounced off the bag. With runners at the corners, Gabe Swansen brought Silva home on the next at-bat with a sacrifice fly deep to right field. Both sides were knotted up at 1-1 after the first.

Horn falls apart

Horn lost his command in the top of the second. The Spartans scored two runs in the frame despite failing to tally a hit.

After the leadoff man fouled out deep to the right-field corner, Horn walked three consecutive batters. The first two free bags came following lengthy battles, but Dayton Murphy drew a four-pitch walk to load the bases. Horn was called for a balk on the next at-bat, plating one run.

Michigan State scored another on an RBI groundout before the Huskers escaped the frame. Horn’s day came to an end after the second inning, and right-hander Tucker Timmerman relieved him in the third.

“I didn’t anticipate going to [Timmerman] in the third inning, I just thought the game called for it,” Bolt said. “Obviously the situation called for it, just a do-or-die game, Ty loses his command there in the second inning.”

Timmerman posted two stellar innings, but in the fifth, self-inflicted errors cost him as well. With one on and two outs, he hit Caleb Berry with a pitch to extend the inning. An infield single loaded the bases before Timmerman spiked a failed pick-off attempt to second base. One run scored as the Spartans extended their lead to 4-1.

Huskers pull within one

Dzierwa tossed four consecutive scoreless innings — allowing just two hits over that stretch — before the Huskers finally broke through in the sixth.

With one out, Brumbaugh singled through the right side to spark a rally. Swansen followed with a single that dropped in center, before an errant throw to second rolled to the backstop and allowed both runners to advance.

Case Sanderson delivered. The sophomore drove a two-RBI single to center, bringing the Huskers within one, 4-3.

“[Sanderson] has always been a gifted hitter,” Bolt said. “I think we’ve seen him at the back half of this year starting to turn the field a little bit more where he’s actually pulling the ball a little bit more and swinging [with] a little bit more aggression.

“He’s going to become more of a run producer when he does that and obviously he came up in some huge spots tonight.”

Miraculous error saves the season

With two outs in the bottom of the ninth and Nebraska still trailing 4-3, Joshua Overbeek hit a line drive to right field. As Parker Picot prepared to make the grab, Nebraska’s Big Ten Title dreams came crashing down.

Miraculously, the ball popped out of Picot’s glove. Bolin, who reached on a leadoff bunt single, scored from second base to tie the game and keep the Huskers’ season alive.

“The main thing is just doing anything I can to help us win,” Bolin said. “Dropping a bunt down was the best idea. Put it in the right spot down the line and ended up safe. Anything can happen when you start a rally like that, especially with us.”

Brumbaugh followed with a double that narrowly stayed fair down the right-field line to put the winning run on third base. Swansen couldn’t capitalize, however, grounding out to send the game to extras.

Broderick returned to the mound in the 10th and posted his third scoreless frame of the night. He allowed just two hits in 3.1 innings of work.

“We’ve been in a lot of close games over the last couple weeks, so it’s been good experience for me,” Broderick said. “I felt pretty much at home. Just do whatever it takes to help the team win. Just go out there and get as many outs as you can till someone takes you out.”

In the bottom of the 10th, Carey hit a leadoff single and stole second, but back-to-back strikeouts brought Bolin to the plate with two outs.

The junior came up clutch, ripping a single into center that scored Carey from second. A dogpile in right field began as the crowd on hand erupted.

“I’ve seen a fight in this group. We fought to get here when it looked pretty bleak,” Bolt said. “I mean, 2-7, 15-20, looked pretty bleak and there’s not a whole lot of teams in my estimation that are going to stay in the fight the way that these guys have.”

Nebraska will face Oregon on Friday at 6 p.m. to decide the winner of Pool A. Should the Huskers pull off the upset, they will advance to a four-team, single elimination bracket on Saturday and Sunday.

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