Story by NU Athletic Communications
Will Walsh tossed seven scoreless innings and the Husker offense erupted for 13 runs, as No. 24 Nebraska recorded a 13-0 win vs. San Diego State at the MLB Desert Invitational on Sunday night at Sloan Park in Mesa, Ariz.
Nebraska (2-1) totaled 13 runs on 12 hits, while San Diego State (1-2) recorded seven hits and committed three errors.
Cayden Brumbaugh was 2-for-5 at the plate with a double, triple, two RBI and a pair of runs scored. Max Buettenback drove in a career-high four RBI with a 1-for-3 night and a two-run homer. Will Jesske and Riley Silva pieced together two-hit performances, while Dylan Carey, Gabe Swansen, Robby Bolin, Joshua Overbeek and Rhett Stokes tallied one hit apiece.
Will Walsh improved to 1-0 on the season, posting his fourth career start of at least seven innings. The southpaw tossed seven scoreless frames and struck out six Aztecs while surrendering five hits. Redshirt freshman Carson Jasa made his Husker debut and took the mound for the final two innings, allowing two hits and striking out a pair with one walk.
Brumbaugh began the bottom of the first with a triple to right field on the first pitch, while Buettenback lifted a sacrifice fly to center to give the Big Read a 1-0 lead.
The Huskers loaded the bases in the bottom of the second with no outs after three consecutive singles from Overbeek, Jesske and Silva. Brumbaugh added to the NU lead with a two-RBI double to left field, plating Overbeek and Jesske to make it a 3-0 game.
The NU offense added a pair of more runs in the inning after Buettenback’s RBI groundout brought home Silva, followed by a sacrifice fly from Carey to score Brumbaugh.
For the second consecutive inning, the Huskers loaded the bases after a walk to Cael Frost and a pair of hit-by-pitches to Overbeek and Jesske. The NU offense was only able to scratch across one run in the frame when Silva’s RBI groundout allowed Frost to cross the plate and grow the lead to six after three innings.
An infield single and stolen base placed Silva on second with two outs in the bottom of the fifth, setting the table for Buettenback’s two-run blast into the left-field berm for his first homer on the season.
Nebraska poured on five more runs in the bottom of the seventh with two outs to blow the game open at 13-0. Swansen began the scoring with a two-RBI single up the middle with the bases loaded to plate Buettenback and Carey. The Huskers add three more runs in the frame with consecutive RBI singles by Bolin, Stokes and Jesske.
The Huskers will remain in Arizona an extra day, as Nebraska takes on Grand Canyon tomorrow afternoon at Brazell Field at GCU Ballpark in Phoenix. First pitch between the Big Red and Lopes is scheduled for 2 p.m. CT on ESPN+.