Three home runs lift Nebraska baseball to emphatic win over Sam Houston
Nebraska baseball (4-4) took care of business on Friday night, kicking off the Frisco Classic with an 8-3 win over Sam Houston. The Huskers finally found some juice at the plate, tallying 12 total hits including three home runs.
Right-hander Mason McConnaughey got the start on the mound, but was pulled in the fourth inning with an apparent injury. Nebraska quickly coughed up its three-run lead when McConnaughey left the game.
Will Walsh bounced back from a nightmare outing last weekend, tossing four stellar innings in relief and earning the win. The left-hander didn’t allow a single hit and struck out six, including the last two batters of the night.
Here is a recap of the victory:
Cael Frost finally flashes potential
The former Summit League Player of the Year had a rocky start to his Husker career. After transferring from South Dakota State this offseason, many expected Frost to immediately upgrade Nebraska’s offense.
It took two weekends, but the senior finally flashed his potential at the plate on Friday. Frost blasted a 399-foot bomb in the second inning, his first hit of the season. The two-run shot gave the Huskers an early lead that they never rescinded.
Frost wasn’t finished. After Sam Houston tied the game at 3-3 in the bottom of the fifth, Frost responded right away with a solo home run to put Nebraska back on top. He finished the day with two hits, three RBIs, a walk and one strikeout.
Will Walsh bounces back
Will Walsh had a gritty performance on Friday. After a week in which he gave up five runs in two innings and was moved to the bullpen, the left-hander bounced back in style.
Walsh took the mound in the bottom of the sixth after Jalen Worthley allowed the Bearkats to score three runs and tie the game. Walsh pitched the rest of the way, striking out six in four hitless innings.
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With uncertainty looming about McConnaughey’s status — which forced Worthley to enter the game prematurely — Walsh was nails. As mid-week games begin on Tuesday, Nebraska needs outings like Friday’s from Walsh if the current starting rotation remains the same.
Bats heat up
A new-look batting lineup paid dividends on Friday.
Nebraska’s offense has been anemic at times this season, and after last Saturday’s debacle, the Huskers were left with a sour taste in their mouths.
But the win over Sam Houston told a completely different story at the plate. Frost gave Nebraska a hot start, but Case Sanderson and Dylan Carey combined to score another run in the third.
The Huskers began to pour it on in the later innings. Joshua Overbeek doubled to start the action in the seventh frame before Devin Nunez continued his strong campaign with an RBI single. Cayden Brumbaugh followed with a lengthy at-bat and — on a full-count pitch — sent a two-run bomb over the left-field wall.
After Hogan Helligso hit an RBI single in the eighth, Brumbaugh had another scoring opportunity but left the bases loaded. The Huskers stranded seven base runners on Friday despite scoring eight runs.
Helligso, Sanderson and Nunez all had two-hit efforts to compliment Frosts’ breakout performance.
