The Huskers (8-7) were back in action on Wednesday afternoon under sunny skies at Haymarket Park. After a tight battle on Tuesday where Nebraska defeated Air Force 7-6, the Huskers got up early on Wednesday and never looked back. Nebraska won 12-3.
The first inning lasted about 45 minutes, as Nebraska scored three runs and made Air Force throw 44 pitches. Freshman Kyle Perry got the start on the mound and had his best day to date as a Husker. Perry went 4.0 innings, recorded nine strikeouts and gave up one run.
After going through seven pitchers on Tuesday, it was important that Nebraska got a good start from Perry. For a young guy who hadn’t seen a lot of action so far this season, Perry showed up and then some. Darin Erstad was pleased with what he saw from the freshman.
“We were doing cartwheels after we got three innings from Kyle and to get more than that is a credit to him,” Erstad said post-game.
Nebraska used five pitchers on Wednesday, with Ethan Frazier contributing for 3.0 innings of action. Freshman Tyler Martin made his Husker debut, going 1.0 inning and forcing two fly outs. Jaxon Hallmark closed out the final inning with two strikeouts to finish the day for the Huskers.
Offensively, Nebraska had to show some patience as Air Force walked 15 Husker batters on the day and threw 208 total pitches in 8.0 innings.
Mojo Hagge lit up the scoreboard, going three-of-five with four RBIs. Alex Henwood made his return after what looked like a significant shoulder injury early in the season. Henwood had a very good day at the plate, going two-of-four including a double.
Spencer Schwellenbach left the game in the second inning after a tag play at first base. He appeared to roll an ankle and was in serious pain. He was assisted off the field before walking into the dugout on his own strength. Erstad had no update on his status after the game.
Keegan Watson hit another home run, adding to his impressive Tuesday outing. He now has three hits in his Husker career and they are all home runs.
Overall, Nebraska has built some confidence going into conference play. Nebraska went 2-0 against a solid Air Force team and has significant wins over ranked opponents Texas Tech and Baylor.
This is a young team that continues to grow. The stakes get turned up a notch as Big Ten play begins this weekend with a three-game series at home against Michigan State.
First pitch is set for Friday at 6:35 p.m. CT. The game will be streamed on BTN Plus.
