Nebraska Defeats Penn State to Reach Big Ten Championship Game

OMAHA, Neb. (WOWT) – Nebraska baseball advanced to its second consecutive Big Ten Championship game after a 6-3 victory over Penn State on Saturday night at Charles Schwab Field.

In front of 8,541 fans, the Huskers, now 31-27, scored six runs on 12 hits, while Penn State concluded its season at 33-23 with three runs on nine hits. Hogan Helligso led the charge for Nebraska, going 2-for-4 with two doubles and contributing two RBIs.

The scoring started for Nebraska in the bottom of the second inning when Helligso delivered a clutch two-RBI single that brought home Dylan Carey and Case Sanderson, giving the Huskers a 2-0 lead.

However, Penn State responded with a two-out RBI double in the third inning, cutting Nebraska’s lead in half. The Nittany Lions then took a 3-2 lead in the fourth inning with back-to-back solo home runs from Joe Jaconski and Matthew Maloney.

Not to be deterred, Nebraska answered back in the bottom of the fourth when Riley Silva hit an RBI double, followed by Robby Bolin’s groundout that scored Helligso, putting Nebraska back ahead 4-3.

Gabe Swansen extended the lead to 6-3 with a two-run homer in the seventh inning, solidifying the Huskers’ lead. Nebraska’s pitching staff, featuring Tucker Timmerman, Drew Christo, and Luke Broderick, managed to keep Penn State at bay. Broderick earned his 12th save of the season, striking out four while allowing no runs in his 2.2-inning appearance.

Nebraska will face No. 13 UCLA in the Big Ten Championship game on Sunday at 2 p.m. CDT, seeking to defend its title from the previous year.