Lincoln – Behind a home run for the second straight day from Scott Schreiber and a 11 strikeouts from the Husker pitching staff, the Nebraska baseball team (5-6, 0-0 Big Ten) completed a two-game sweep of the Northern Colorado Bears (3-11, 0-0 WAC) with a 7-1 win on Wednesday afternoon at Hawks Field.
The Huskers outscored the Bears 15-1 in the series and NU’s pitchers didn’t allow an earned run, as the Bears’ only run was an unearned run in the fifth inning on Wednesday. Six NU pitchers combined to allow just four hits on the afternoon after the Huskers allowed just three hits on Tuesday. Over the last five games Nebraska’s pitchers have allowed seven runs in 48.0 innings.
After launching a pair of home runs on Tuesday, Schreiber added his fifth long ball of the season in the third inning when he blasted a home run to left field after Ryan Boldt led off the inning with a single. With five home runs in 10 games played, Schreiber now has more home runs this season than any Husker had all last season, as Tanner Lubach and Ben Miller tied for the team lead with four each in 2015.
The top of NU’s lineup did the most damage on Wednesday as the 1-4 hitters went a combined 8-for-16 with six RBIs and five runs scored. It started at the top of the lineup with Boldt, who produced three hits for the second straight game and also swiped a pair of bases. Boldt ended the two-game series going 6-for-9 with five singles and a triple, and he also stole three bases. The junior entered the series with a .268 batting average and raised it 72 points, as he is now hitting .340.
On the mound, sophomore Jake Meyers made his first career start and first appearance of 2016. He gave up one hit over 3.0 shutout innings and struck out two. Five relievers then combined to limit the Bears to one unearned run on three hits over the final 6.0 innings, with Sean Chandler and Max Knutson each tallying three strikeouts. NU’s arms recorded nine of their 11 strikeouts over the final 4.0 innings.
The Bears only threat came in the seventh when a double and a pair of walks loaded the bases with one down. Senior Jeff Chesnut came in to face the top of the Bears’ lineup and promptly notched two strikeouts that ended the threat.
The Huskers will be back at Hawks Field on Friday when they open a four-game series against the Loyola Marymount Lions at 1:35 p.m. The teams will play a doubleheader on Saturday, with game one starting at 2:05 p.m., and the series concludes on Sunday at 1:05 p.m.