Look out, college baseball. The Huskers are the real deal with a clear path to host a regional for the first time since 2008.
Nebraska (31-9, 15-3) completed the series sweep over No. 12 USC (30-11, 13-8) by crushing the Trojans 16-6 (8 inn.) on Sunday at Haymarket Park. It marked NU’s first sweep over a ranked opponent at home since Texas in 2015.
A statement was made this weekend in Lincoln in front of a combined 21,383 fans over the course of the series to mark a new attendance record.
Shortstop Dylan Carey, center fielder Mac Moyer and Drew Grego led the way with their series-finale homers at the plate. Carey finished 4-for-5 for two RBI, while Moyer went 2-for-5 for another four RBI.
Grego, a true freshman right fielder from Papillion (Neb.), shut out any USC hope with his 408-foot grand slam in the bottom of the sixth to make it 13-6.
Gavin Blachowicz (3.02 ERA) significantly struggled in his Sunday start. The sophomore righty yielded five runs in just two innings. However, former starter Ty Horn (W, 4.03 ERA) provided five innings of stability in relief and surrendered only a run.
Here is an instant recap of the series finale in Lincoln…
Get 50% off an annual membership bundle for access to HuskerOnline + On3 + Rivals by joining today!
Complementary offense remains red-hot
Nebraska’s offense picked up right where it left off on Saturday with early juice to plate six runs off of USC starter Andrew Johnson in just three-plus frames.
In the first, freshman designated hitter Jeter Worthley drilled a one-out triple to the deepest part of Hawks Field. Moments later, Case Sanderson and Carey gave the Big Red a 2-1 lead with back-to-back RBI doubles.
After stranding two in the second, Carey launched a solo-shot in the third to left field to cut the Trojan lead to two, 5-3. In the fourth, the Huskers retook the lead, 6-5, thanks to a 98 mph 368-foot three-run nuke to right field by Moyer.
Worthley and Sanderson each drew walks to end Johnson’s outing, and Carey immediately advanced Worthley to third base with a sac-fly to center. Just 90 feet away from home plate, he took advantage of a wild pitch to make it 7-5 and cap off a four-run inning.
It was pure small-ball at its finest in the fifth. After third baseman Joshua Overbeek and second baseman Rhett Stokes each reached, catcher Trey Fikes advanced them with a sac-bunt. And each came all the way around home off a wild pitch to make it 9-6, Nebraska.
Blachowicz can’t find command, Horn dominates in relief
In the first, Blachowicz struck out the side but yielded a Trojan run. He surrendered a one-out single before a throwing error on a pick-off attempt. As the inning ensued, USC took advantage of Blachowicz’s inconsistencies to smack a two-out RBI single.
The Olathe, Kansas, native could not find his command in the second, either. In fact, Blachowicz issued another three walks before a two-out, three-run homer and a solo shot put USC ahead 5-2.
Off his 55 pitches (32 strikes) to only retire five of 13 Trojans, his start ended after just two innings.
Horn took over in the third and brought immediate force to bump. The Nebraska righty delivered two shutout innings, including a 1-2-3 fourth frame, before allowing a solo homer in the fifth to make it 7-6.
Two singles later, and the 6-foot-2 junior faced runners at the corners with just one out. However, Horn escaped the jam by forcing a 1-4-3 double play to hold the NU lead. He tossed a quick 1-2-3 sixth and a scoreless seventh to cap his stellar five innings of relief.
Horn threw those five innings off just 59 pitches (47 strikes) to retire 13 of the 19 Southern Cal batters.
Dannen sells “Big Red Rebuild” masterfully, with critical days ahead
Nebraska hammers nail in coffin to put country on notice
In the sixth, the complementary baseball remained in full swing to put the nail in the USC coffin. With the bases loaded, Grego hammered a ball to right-center for a grand slam.
As the frame ensued, the Huskers extended their lead to nine to make it 15-6. Most impressively, NU scored those six runs off just three hits.
In the eighth, lefty Caleb Clark took the ball and tossed a 1-2-3 frame, highlighted by a nasty punchout. In the bottom of the frame, Sanderson sealed with an RBI single, giving the Huskers back-to-back run-rule victories.
Nebraska returns to the ball diamond on Tuesday at 6 p.m. CT at No. 18 Kansas. Watch on ESPN+ or listen to Huskers Radio Network. KU defeated NU 5-3 in its first meeting on April 7.