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No. 24 Nebraska baseball wins wild thriller at K-State behind Carey’s record-tying double, Grego’s two nukes

by: Bobby Schneider03/25/26bschneider33

No. 24 Nebraska baseball (19-6) won a wild midweek thriller against old Big 8 foe Kansas State (17-8) 14-9 on Tuesday in Manhattan.

Senior shortstop Dylan Carey tied head coach Will Bolt for the Huskers’ all-time doubles record with his 56th in the top of the fifth.

It was about as back-and-forth as it gets — even for a midweek contest. The Huskers led 6-2 after 4 1/2 innings, yet a bullpen collapse let the Wildcats plate a six-run inning to snag an 8-6 lead.

However, the Big Red responded with a five-run top of the fifth to grab an 11-8 lead, highlighted by Carey’s record-tying double.

Drew Grego led NU with two homers on the night. The true freshman right fielder smacked a solo bomb in the sixth and a two-out, two-run nuke in the eighth — each being a no-doubter. The Papillion, Nebraska, native finished 3-for-5 for a team-high five RBI.

Those 14 Husker runs mark their season best off of a whopping 15 hits. Most impressively, 10 of the 14 scores came with two outs.

Here is an instant recap from the thriller…

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Nebraska bats build early lead

The Huskers slapped two runs from the get-go off K-State spot-starter Cohen Feser.

Per usual, center fielder Mac Moyer got the game going with a lead-off single. Red-hot Jeter Worthley hit Moyer home with a double to put Nebraska up 1-0. It marked the freshman catcher’s sixth double and fifth RBI of the season.

With two down, designated hitter Miken Miller drilled Worthley home with an RBI single to right field. However, Feser settled in for the second by retiring NU in order.

As K-State went to left-hander Robert Fortenberry in the third, the Big Red’s top of the order got another crooked frame going. But it was about as bizarre a frame as it gets.

Moyer hit a bloop single to left, while Worthley utilized his speed to reach on a bunt single. However, Nebraska’s four runs plated were primarily due to self-inflicted Wildcat woes. In fact, Fortenberry surrendered two runs off two wild pitches and three free passes in only 2/3.

Still, the K-State arm was a pitch away from retiring the side. Yet first baseman Case Sanderson’s eye became the reason for the four-run inning. He battled back down 0-2 to draw a walk and start the rally.

As the Wildcats went to another arm, Drew Grego gave Nebraska its fifth and sixth runs. The right fielder’s two-RBI bloop knock to center field only added to the beyond-bizarre frame — just the beginning of a wild midweek baseball game.

Stewart saves Bender

Making his third start of his career, Pryce Bender gave Nebraska just 2 1/3 innings in his spot start. The sophomore righty sat the Wildcats down 1-2-3 in the first frame, including a strikeout.

However, Bender surrendered two runs in the second after allowing two doubles and balking. He recorded the first out in the third, before surrendering two singles to cap his day on 46 pitches (27 strikes) for those two runs off three hits. Still, the primary bullpen arm avoided a blow-up.

Braxton Stewart took over the jam Bender created and left unscathed. The sophomore left-hander struck out the heart of the Wildcat lineup to record the final two outs on just 11 pitches.

Nebraska’s bullpen implodes

Leading 6-2 entering the bottom of the fourth, Nebraska’s bullpen imploded to hand KSU the lead.

Lefty Colin Nowaczyk took over in the fourth. But his day ended without even recording an out after surrendering a run on two hits and walking a Wildcat to cut NU’s lead to three, 6-3.

With a desperate need for an out, pitching coach Rob Childress turned to Kevin Mannell. Yet Mannell only recorded one out and allowed three earned runs to make it even at six apiece. Moments later, Jalen Worthley’s relief was as much of a disaster, with a four-pitch walk and a balk allowing the Wildcats to grab an 8-6 lead.

Carey, Grego outslug Wildcats

Just as the drama couldn’t get any bigger, Nebraska delivered a five-run top of the fifth to recapture the lead, 11-8.

Left fielder Max Buettenback started the crooked frame with a one-out double. And with two free passes gifted, Moyer racked up an RBI off a fielder’s choice. Worthley followed with an RBI single, while Sanderson gave the Huskers the lead again with a two-RBI triple.

Moments later, Carey tied Bolt’s double record to give the Big Red its 11th run and never looked back. In the sixth, Grego annihilated a no-doubt nuke to center field for his second of the season — the Husker dagger in the Wildcats. But that was just the start. The true freshman hammered another to deep left-center in the eighth.

Righty Ryan Harrahill and lefty Chase Olson provided stability out of the bullpen with shutout innings tossed. In fact, Olson struck out four of the seven batters he faced. Tucker Timmerman took over without surrendering any damage from the bump.

Lefty Caleb Clark surrendered one in the ninth, but avoided havoc with two strikeouts to seal the Husker win.

Nebraska returns to the ball diamond on Friday at 6 p.m. CT for the first of a three-game series against Indiana at Haymarket Park in Lincoln. It may be seen on B1G+ or heard on the Huskers Radio Network.

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