The other half of the best pitching duo in the Big Ten Conference took the mound for Nebraska today, looking to put Nebraska one-step closer to winning the B1G regular season title. Mason McConnaughey has come into his own the past few weeks and was set face off against a desperate Spartan team trying to get to Omaha next week.

McConnaughey would have no easy task, facing an offensive lineup that had seven hits last night and walked away frustrated they didn’t get hits when they needed them the most. He also faced off against Sparty’s best pitcher, tall, lanky, lefty Joseph Dzierwa. Michigan State had not lost a game Dzierwa started over the last month, winning four games in a row.

Nebraska came out very determined, and with the lead-off batter only getting on base once last night, Cayden Brumbaugh changed that right away with a base hit to start the game. He also was the first Cornhusker to cross the plate two batters later when Josh Caron launched a mighty home run to give the Big Red a 2-0 lead.

The boys from Lincoln struck again in the second. With one out, Cole Evans worked a walk and Riley Silva follow up with a single. After a second strikeout in the inning by Dzierwa, Brumbaugh poked his second base hit of the game, scoring Evans and Overbeek. Case Sanderson followed with another one-bagger to score to score Brumbaugh, who had swiped second. The Cornhuskers had no problem picking up the ball from the lefthander and after two innings were in control, 5-0.

McConnaughey dominated, facing one batter over the minimum through five innings, with only one hitter finding his way into scoring position. He flooded the strike zone and had the Spartans guessing. The knuckle-curve was devastating and the boys from MSU had a lot of difficulty putting the barrel on the ball.

Nebraska put runners on base in the middle innings, thanks in large part to Dzierwa’s wildness. However, he worked himself out of jams, striking out eleven Cornhuskers in the seven innings he worked. His unorthodox delivery made him more deceptive at times, especially when he changed speeds.

The Spartans finally got something going in their half of the sixth inning, all of it on two outs. Their standout lead-off man, Jack Frank stroked a double. Then the next three batters all recording singles. When the dust cleared, MSU scored three runs, and McConnaughey was replaced by Jalen Worthley to get the last out of the inning. After six innings, the score was now 5-3 Cornhuskers. Michigan State had some momentum.

Dzierwa gave up a hit to Sanderson in the seventh inning, but worked through it, capping it with a strikeout to end his night on the mound. Worthley quieted the Spartans in the bottom half, extinguishing their momentum.

That led to Tommy Szczeepanski coming in to face Nebraska in the eighth. To provide a little foreshadowing, he was the first of three pitchers in the inning for MSU. Nebraska scored four more runs on only two hits to extend their lead to 9-3. That took the starch out of the Spartans.

Casey Daiss came in for Nebraska to pitch the top of the eighth. He worked around a single by Frank and a walk to keep Michigan State off the board.

Nebraska added insurance in the top of the ninth. Dylan Carey led off with a solo home run. Riley Silva then singled after an out and stole second for his conference leading 31^st stolen base of the year. He scored on a double by Joshua Overbeek.

Kyle Froehlich made quick work of the Spartans in the bottom of the ninth secure the series win.

This was a complete game for Nebraska. Very good pitching and very good offense. This is the way you want your team playing at the end of the season. The 11-3 win was very workman-like, and the kind of performance Cornhusker fans expect out of a Will Bolt coached team.

Nebraska fans will be watching the next game on BTN between Illinois and Purdue. A Boilermaker win would leave the door open for a Cornhusker title. If Illinois does not win tonight, it will be all tied up going into Championship Saturday.

Michigan State has been eliminated from the tournament, so they will be playing for pride tomorrow. Jackson Brockett will start for the Cornhuskers with the game starting at 11:00 to accommodate BTN.

Notes:

· Nearly the whole lineup contributed at the plate tonight. Seven players had hits and all nine reached base.

· Case Sanderson and Riley Silva were both 3-5. Sanderson had three RBI.

· Josh Caron, Cayden Brumbaugh, and Dylan Carey had two hits each. Caron and Carey homered.

· Joshua Overbeek had one hit, a double that scored a run.

· Four Nebraska pitchers gave up a combined six hits, recorded eight strikeouts, and surrendered three walks.