Nebraska baseball pulls of a miraculous comeback to defeat No. 12 USC 8-7
Nebraska (29-9, 13-3 Big Ten) summoned the late-game magic that has defined its season, erasing a massive five-run deficit to stun No. 12 USC (30-9, 13-5) with an 8-7 walk-off victory in 10 innings.
Trailing 7-2 late, the Huskers ignited the Haymarket Park faithful when Joshua Overbeek launched a towering three-run home run in the eighth. The resilience continued in the ninth as Nebraska clawed back to tie the game on a wild pitch, sending the series opener into extras. In the 10th, Mac Moyer laid down a high-pressure bunt that forced a wild throwing error from USC’s Sax Matson, allowing Rhett Stokes to race home for the winning run.
“When you show up and you have these guys in the locker room and in the dugout bringing juice, it always feels like your next chance is right around the corner,” Overbeek said postgame. “If you’re not positive then this game eats you alive but this team is positive and we will continue to fight.”
“I was already thinking about that (the bunt) as J’Shawn (Unger) was making pitches there,” head coach Will Bolt said postgame about the decision to bunt Moyer. “I thought they may leave some openings on defense and Mac handles the bat real well so he was fully prepared for it.”
For much of the night, it appeared the Huskers would be stifled by USC starter Mason Edwards. The projected first-round pick reached the 100-strikeout milestone by recording 11 punchouts across seven dominant innings. While Nebraska eventually totaled nine hits off him—the most he has surrendered all season—Edwards’ sharp breaking stuff kept the Big Red off the board early.
Conversely, Cooper Katskee struggled in his move to the Friday night role. The former MAC Pitcher of the Year surrendered five runs in three-plus innings, issuing an uncharacteristic five walks while striking out only one.
Here is the instant recap of how the Big Red clawed back to win a Friday night thriller…
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Katskee’s command provides USC with an early lead
Katskee trotted out for his first Friday start as a Husker and immediately faced adversity. He managed a tight zone early, firing up the partisan Nebraska crowd, but then surrendered a towering home run to Isaac Cadena. The Trojan catcher launched a 433-foot blast to right-center field with an exit velocity of 104 mph to give his team an early 1-0 lead.
After Edwards retired the Huskers in order, the Trojan bats returned to work, tagging Katskee for two more runs. His breaking-ball command remained shaky as USC notched three straight hits to drive in a run. A sacrifice fly brought in the third Trojan run before Katskee finally escaped the inning, having thrown 45 pitches with only 26 being strikes.
The Big Red attempted to back Katskee in the bottom of the second. Dylan Carey led off with a 106 mph double into the left-center gap, and Jett Buck followed with a bloop single but Carey was forced to stay at third to ensure the ball dropped. Unfortunately for the Big Red, Cole Kitchens struck out in his first at-bat in several weeks, and Drew Grego ended the threat by grounding into a 4-6-3 double play to keep the score 3-0.
Katskee’s inefficiency continued into the third, marking the shortest start of his Husker career. A double and a single combined for the fourth Trojan run, while a sacrifice fly extended the lead to 5-0 for a USC squad that set a school record with an 18-0 start to the season. The senior finally exited the inning after crossing the 60-pitch mark, as the sacrifice fly ended with a 9-5 putout on a Trojan runner tagging up to third.
The Huskers pressured again in the bottom of the third. Rhett Stokes and Mac Moyer both reached on singles, and Jeter Worthley loaded the bases after reaching on an E4. However, a called third strike on Case Sanderson and a swinging strikeout by Carey allowed Edwards to escape with the 5-0 lead intact.
Jalen Worthley allows Nebraska to fight back
Jalen Worthley entered for Katskee in the fourth inning following a leadoff walk. The Lincoln East (Neb.) product provided a much-needed spark, retiring three consecutive batters for a scoreless frame. On the other side, Edwards flashed the dominant form he has showcased all season. He sat the Huskers down in order during a 1-2-3 inning, punching out every batter he faced with sharp breaking pitches in the dirt. The performance followed a 16-strikeout outing against Iowa.
Worthley set down the Trojans in order again in the fifth by pitching to contact. Edwards threw his first ball to a leadoff batter to open the bottom half, but he quickly recovered to strike out Overbeek for his sixth consecutive punch out. Moyer finally halted the streak with a two-out single, but Worthley grounded out to shortstop to end the inning with Nebraska still in a five-run hole.
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The home half of the sixth inning brought life to the third-base dugout. Worthley worked his second straight scoreless frame to complete three innings of no-hit relief for the left-hander.
“I have trying to take advantage of every opportunity I have got,” Worthley said postgame. “When my name gets called I am always going to be ready to go.”
Worthley’s stellar performance sparked the offense in the bottom of the sixth. Sanderson hit a bloop single to set the table before Buck delivered a clutch RBI double into the left-center gap to get the Huskers on the board. Grego then drove in another run with a double of his own, as the freshman continues to prove he belongs in the lineup. The Huskers trailed 5-2 heading into the seventh.
Nebraska sparks a rally and upsets USC
The Trojans immediately answered Worthley’s exit in the seventh. Grant Cleavinger struggled early, surrendering a leadoff single and a walk before Kevin Mannell entered in relief. USC greeted Mannell with back-to-back singles, driving in both inherited runners to push the lead back to 7-2. Despite the setback, Mannell settled in for the eighth, navigating two walks to post a scoreless frame and keep the Huskers within striking distance as the dominant Edwards finally exited for the USC bullpen.
The momentum shifted violently in the bottom of the eighth against reliever Gavin Lauridsen. With two outs and two on, Overbeek launched a towering three-run home run that cut the deficit to two and ignited the Haymarket Park faithful. Stokes and Moyer followed with hits to chase Lauridsen, but USC closer Adam Troy entered to record a clutch strikeout, leaving the tying runs stranded and sending the game to the ninth with the Huskers trailing 7-5.
“Because we have won games late, we felt like a two-run lead was something we could come back from,” Bolt said. “That three-run home run was huge.”
Horn kept the comeback hopes alive in the ninth, touching a season-high 96 mph during a dominant 1-2-3 inning. The Big Red offense then went to work against Troy, Sanderson led off with a single and Carey reached on a high-pressure fielding error. Buck cut the lead to one with a sacrifice fly, and after a Preston Freeman pinch-hit walk put the winning run on base, a wild pitch allowed Carey to slide home for the tying run. The stunning rally erased a five-run deficit and sent the series opener into extra innings.
J’Shawn Unger locked it down in the top of the ninth with three strikeouts. Stokes reached on a walk before Moyer laid down a great bunt that forced a wild throw. Stokes came across and the comeback was complete.
The Huskers are back in action again on Saturday. First pitch is scheduled for 2:02 p.m. CST with a Carson Jasa and Grant Govel matchup looming at Haymarket Park.
