Nebraska bounces back in Game 2 against Michigan

After a thumping in the matinée, the Nebraska Cornhuskers (31-21, 18-10 Big Ten) got the last laugh against the Michigan Wolverines (41-18, 19-9 Big Ten), taking the second game by a score of 7-3 advancing to the schools first conference final in the sport since 2014.

Following a shaky day game on the mound for the Huskers, starting pitcher Kyle Perry, reliever Robbie Palkert, and closer Colby Gomes held the Michigan batters to only three runs on six hits and seven strikeouts.

Nebraska got things going in the top half of the third when Spencer Schwellenbach came to the plate with bases loaded and two outs. Schwellenbach turned on a breaking ball and sent it to left field underneath the glove of Wolverine third baseman Blake Nelson. The single brought home Cam Chick and Aaron Palensky, giving Nebraska the all-important 2-0 early lead.

Michigan would answer right back in the bottom half of the inning, however, when Jesse Franklin sent a line drive into right field, scoring Ako Thomas from second and cutting the Nebraska lead in half.

Schwellenbach would gain that run back in the top of the fifth inning when he sent a line drive over the shortstop and into left field, scoring Angelo Altavilla from third base and putting Nebraska ahead 3-1.

The Wolverines would again answer Nebraska's run in the bottom half of the inning thanks to an RBI hit batter and a sacrifice fly to deep right field off the bat of cleanup hitter Jimmy Kerr, tying the game up at three.

Once the Wolverines tied it up in the fifth, the Huskers came right back in the top of the sixth inning to score two runs and never looked back on their way to a 7-3 victory.

The biggest scare of the night for the Nebraska defense came in the bottom of the ninth inning. Palkert was able to record the first two outs but ended up loading up the bases for closer Colby Gomes to come in for the save. In Gomes' twelfth save of the year, the freshman needed only two pitches to Michigan's cleanup batter to end the game on a pop-up to third base.

Spencer Schwellenbach continues to be a reliable slot in the batting order for the Huskers in the Big Ten tournament. On Saturday night, the sophomore shortstop went 3-for-5, driving in the first three runs for Nebraska on a pair of RBI singles in the third and fifth inning.

A big factor for Schwellenbach and the Huskers offensive production tonight was the home crowd Husker fans in attendance. "The atmosphere was unbelievable," Schwellenbach recalled. "Night game, thousands of people there, they bring the energy for us.

"When we get a big hit and the crowd's cheering really loud, it just really helps our confidence. It puts stress on their pitcher and it's easier to play."

Through Nebraska's four games in the Big Ten tournament, Schwellenbach has gone 7-16 (.438) with nine RBIs and three runs scored.

The morning game against the Wolverines on Saturday was a blowout, to put it in simple terms. The Nebraska pitchers gave up 18 total runs along with 19 hits while the defense committed six errors, the highest mark on the season.

There was room to improve all around for the Huskers if they were going to win in the second game of the day and Spencer Schwellenbach said the message to the team was to have a short memory. "The thing with baseball is anything can really happen," Schwellenbach explained. "Some games you come out swinging really well and that's what Michigan did, they scored seven [runs] in the first inning.

"After that game, coach [Erstad] said 'That was a very veteran move of you guys to get all of the bad plays out in that game.'" Schwellenbach joked.

The night finished with only three Michigan runs while the defense didn't commit a single error on their way to a win.

With the win, Nebraska will return to TD Ameritrade Park Sunday for a shot at the Big Ten tournament championship. The Huskers await the outcome of the second game between Ohio State and Minnesota which will begin tomorrow at 11:00 AM CT due to the curfew set in place by the Big Ten. The championship game is scheduled for 3:00 PM but will ultimately start roughly an hour following the conclusion of the morning game.