This isn’t a game we’ve seen before, Auburn versus Nebraska in the diamond. In fact, traveling to any SEC team for a weekend series isn’t something we see very often. But the way the NCAA tournament committee rewards teams that don’t have a rigorous schedule may become a more common sight. We saw a great game tonight and it will be a popular one.
For the first time this season, the game had a true Friday night feel, with the team fielding their top-tier starters to start the series. Nebraska has Ty Horn and Auburn has Virginia Tech transfer Jake Marciano, and they start their matchup early. They combined to strike out seven batters in the first two innings.
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Auburn struck first in the 3rd inning. Mason McClain singled to the right side of the infield, stealing second base. His brother, Brandon, hit a shaky grounder to Husker third baseman Josh Overbeek, who couldn’t hit it. A sac fly takes home 1 point. Then Horn slipped to cover a bunt that could have been another out for the Tigers. With a walk at 3-2, Auburn loaded the bases and had back-to-back singles to make it 4-0. During this period, Horne and Worsley also argued during pitch calls, despite wearing communication devices. It’s just that the entire half of the inning was terrible.
The Huskers would respond in the bottom half of the inning. Case Sanderson singled to lead off the run. Overbeck and Dylan Carey both pitched well at 3-2, including Sandy, the third consecutive batter to reach a perfect score. DH Cole Kitchens had no interest in going for a full count, and he drove in the first pitch over the Warhawk Wall (Auburn’s version of Fenway’s Green Monster) for an RBI double. Nebraska left fielder Will Jesske hit the ball to nearly the same spot (full count!), switching places with Kitchens to cut the lead to 4-2.
Jeske had a great start to the season with the bat, the only problem was that he hit some of the biggest, weirdest outfield fences you can find. If Nebraska played all its games at a place like Haymarket Park, Jeske would likely lead the nation in home runs. Is this a foreshadowing? !
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Auburn added a run in the fourth inning and ended Horn’s day with 3.2 innings pitched, allowing four earned runs, five strikeouts and two walks. Things are moving quickly for him, the first of several times since he took advantage of his opportunity at Nebraska last year and is off to a strong start in 2026.
Marciano was only able to score five of his own as the Huskers frequently put him deep in the count and he chased the strikeouts, totaling nine but allowing zero walks. Nebraska struck out 18 in 10 innings but ended up with zero walks despite a massive depth count. This shows you how prepared you have to be in the batter’s box, but also shows you how predictable the pitches can be when the count reaches three pitches.
The bullpen, led by the Huskers’ Cooper Katskee and the Tigers’ Jett Johnston, took over and held scoreless until Nebraska broke through in the eighth inning. Mac Moyer’s error led to Case Sanderson’s single to center field and Overbeek’s elbow pass to load the bases.
Dylan Carey is the guy that coach Will Bolt and Husker fans everywhere hope can handle this situation. Although the score was 0-3 on the night, Carey made it 3-2 and, as mentioned above, hit a predictable shot to the middle of the plate to send his 51st career double into the Eagle Wall. Two pitches later, Cole Kitchens tied the game with a double into the right corner. Overbeek scored on third down, and Dylan Carey might have been able to score, but from his vantage point it looked like the outfielder was about to catch the ball, so he moved back to cover.
J’Shawn Unger took over the mound for NU in the 8th inning, and despite a rocky inning that featured a walk, a wild pitch, and an unintentional/intentional walk, Unger was still able to come up with a big strikeout to keep the Tigers off the board.
After a strikeout of Auburn’s closer, Unger needed just seven pitches to put the Tigers out and send the game to overtime.
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The tenth inning started with a bang when Sanderson hit his team-leading third hit in the left field corner. Overbeek hit the ball to right, moving Sandy to third and bringing up the man again, Dylan Carey. Carey continued his hot streak with a single to left for his third RBI of the night and the team’s 15th of the season in just eight games. Devin Nunez’s single drove Jesske to first and second. This time Jeske conquered the War Eagle Wall, hitting his third home run of the season and increasing his RBI total on the day to four as the team led 9-5.
Nebraska needs every run as they have struggled at closer position to start the season. Kevin Mannell will be ignored as the team tries other options. Unger gave up a single. The runner advanced to second without a throw and then scored on a single. Caleb Clark came on to face a left-handed batter and ended up walking 3-2. Freshman Jace Ziola replaced Clark and gave up 0-2 with an RBI single. A passed ball and four walks put pressure on the bases.
Nebraska then turned to Price Bender, who successfully induced a grounder, and Carey stole the ball despite runners and Overbeck flashing in front of him. The Huskers scored during the game to cut the lead to 9-8. Auburn’s top hitter drove in the tying run in the third inning and the game-winning run in the second. Bender got him out of nowhere on his first pitch, giving Unger the win and the save himself, albeit in a nerve-wracking manner.
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It was Nebraska’s first regular-season win on an SEC court since 2014 and their second straight victory over a ranked team. They did this by constantly putting pressure on Auburn’s pitching staff, leading six of 10 batters. Pitch volume is a big thing, but pitch volume under pressure is just extra stress on the arm. If Nebraska wants to win this series, they’re going to have to cut down on the strikeouts on offense. They should be down a bit, as Auburn does use their closers and top strikeout starters, but the rest of the staff is just as stingy in getting the bases loaded, so get ready!
The Huskers will try to win the series on Saturday at 2 p.m. CT.