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Nebraska wins series behind high-powered offense

The Nebraska (9-6) offense didn’t slow down during the doubleheader on Saturday, as the Huskers powered their way to a 13-2 win over Cal Poly (6-10).

After game one’s 14-8 loss, head coach Darin Erstad said “It got very sloppy and I’m not going to see that again.” Well, the Huskers haven’t seen that again. Since Erstad said that, NU has outscored Cal Poly 39-5. While the run-totals have been high---they aren’t the highest in program history. Nebraska put up 50 runs against Chicago State on March 16, 1999.

“I thought we did a great job of continuing to keep pressure on them and have great at-bats and just overall it was a good day,” Erstad said.

In fact, the bats were so hot that the Huskers managed to break three different bats according to NU shortstop Angelo Altavilla. NU combined for 35 runs and 30 hits during Saturday’s doubleheader.

Nebraska got off to a fast start thanks to a pair of walks from Cal Poly pitcher Thomas Triantos. Senior first baseman Scott Schreiber followed that up with a single to left field. Sophomore left-fielder Mojo Hagge was able score the first run of the game courtesy of junior designated hitter Jesse Wilkening. Triantos followed that up by walking Altavilla and sophomore catcher Luke Roskam was able to hit a RBI double to increase the Husker lead.

“It so nice to get out of that little slump I was in,” Altavilla said. “Hopefully I can carry it over into next week because next week is five games and I think those are five games we are capable of winning and winning by a lot.”

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One of the reasons that Schreiber came back for his senior season was to prove that he can consistently find his power and wanted to prove himself. While he’s been off to a slow-start this season, he was able to blast a three-run shot to right-center field.

That was his second home-run of the year. Schreiber put together a solid day as he entered with only a .260 average, but now he’s up near .300. Erstad said that while a hot batting day like today can carry over, there could be some negative consequences if not handled correctly.

“It can get you an inflated ego,” Erstad said. “Where you think you’re better than you really are and we need to remember what got us here.”

Young guys like freshman third baseman Zac Luckey, freshman outfielder Jaxon Hallmark and sophomore center-fielder Joe Acker. Luckey made his first career start today and delivered with 2-of-4 at the plate. He finished both games going 3-of-5 with a run scored, a double, a walk, and some great defensive stops at third base.

“Being out there was a blast,” Luckey said. “I felt like a kid again, just at the park that I love with people that I love and I had a ton of fun doing it.”

While the Mustangs offense seemed quiet for most of the day, they did get a jolt of energy when junior center-fielder Alex McKenna smashed a two-run homerun to bring them within six.

Transfer pitcher Matt Warren (2-0) pitched 5.2 innings while striking out three and controlling the pace of the game. Erstad noted that Warren is having some stamina issues, but is going to keep being patient with him because he hadn’t pitched for the last two years.

“There’s a lot of room for improvement,” Erstad said. “He’s looking okay early on, but then he is dropping off around the fourth or fifth inning. He says he feels fine, but we need to build up that stamina a little more.”

However, it wasn’t a smooth ride to the finish line. After junior relief pitcher Mike Waldron left, junior pitcher Byron Hood came in and left after he walked two batters. Junior Zac Engelken came in and committed a balk. However, he regained the composure to strike out Cal Poly's Myles Emmerson and end the comeback opportunity.

Engleken didn't pitch for NU last year as he was recovering from shoulder surgery. He came in and gave great work considering the situation he was given. He finished with 1.2 IP and struck out three.

"He needs to get his work in and get back out there and get comfortable," Erstad said. "He's still a little rough around the edges. His stuff is there, but the consistency not quite where we need it to be."

Nebraska will not get much rest as they return to Haymarket Park on Tuesday when they take on Northern Colorado (7-5).

“You just got to stay confident in what we can do. This definitely helped this weekend by putting up a ton of runs. We’ll take that into next week and I think we’ll be just fine,” Altavilla said.

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