Huskers Complete Sweep with 5-3 Win
Huskers.com
State College, Pa. - Shay Schanaman and two relievers limited Penn State to three runs on seven hits, as Nebraska completed the weekend sweep of the Nittany Lions with a 5-3 victory Sunday morning.
Schanaman (4-0) went the first six frames before Jake Bunz and Spencer Schwellenbach combined for three innings of perfect relief to preserve the win. Bunz, who earned the win on Friday, set the Nittany Lions down in order in the seventh before Schwellenbach retired all six batters he faced to record his fifth save of the season.
The Huskers (18-6) allowed seven runs on the weekend in posting their first road conference sweep since 2019 and will finish the weekend in first place in the Big Ten.
The Huskers managed just seven hits against Nittany Lion pitching but pushed across runs in four straight innings between the third and sixth. Leighton Banjoff drove in two runs, while Max Anderson led NU with a pair of hits.
Nebraska took a 1-0 lead in the top of the third, getting an RBI single by Schwellenbach. Joe Acker led off the inning with a double to right before coming home two batters later as Schwellenbach lined a single to center.
Penn State got on the board of the frame, as two singles and a Husker error – the first of the weekend – loaded the bases with one out. Schanaman got the next hitter out on a fielder's choice but uncorked a wild pitch to put the Nittany Lions on the board.
Nebraska regained the lead in the fourth, taking advantage of a pair of Penn State errors in the process. Brice Matthews reached on a one-out error before Griffin Everitt's hit and run put runners on the corners. Acker then hit a grounder to shortstop, which was misplayed to allow Matthews to score.
The Huskers extended their lead to 4-1 after Banjoff's two-run single in the fifth. Cam Chick, who walked and scored twice on Sunday, opened the frame with a double before an Anderson single and a Luke Roskam walk loaded the bases with no outs. Banjoff then sent a 1-0 pitch into center to plate a pair of runs to give the visitors a three-run cushion.
PSU got within 4-2 in the bottom of the frame on Gavin Homer's RBI double. Cole Bartels reached on a bunt single and moved to second on a wild pitch before coming home as Homer, who went 2-for-4 on the day, doubled down the left field line.
The teams traded runs in the sixth, as Anderson roped a two-out RBI single to plated Chick, who walked and moved to second on a wild pitch. Penn State (8-16) got the run back, taking advantage of an Anderson error. With one out, Justin Williams reached on the error before Johnny Piacentino's double put runners on second and third. Robison's ground out plated Williams to make it a 5-3 ballgame.
Schanamanm, who has pitched at least six innings in each of his last four starts, scatted seven hits and allowed one earned run before turning the game over to the bullen. He fanned five without a walk on Sunday and now has a 16-0 strikeout-to-walk ratio in his last two starts.
Kyle Virbitsky (1-3) pitched well in defeat, allowing four runs on six hits over five innings to take the loss.
The Huskers return to action on Friday, April 23, as Nebraska begins a three-game series at Michigan State. Friday's first pitch is set for 4:05 p.m. (central) and the game will be on the Learfield IMG College Husker Sports Network and televised on BTN.
