Caron, Huskers Run-Rule Iowa to Clinch Series

Photo Credit: NU Athletics

Nebraska clinched its weekend series against Iowa with a 12-2 run-rule victory in seven innings in the completion of Saturday’s suspended game on Sunday afternoon at Hawks Field at Haymarket Park.

Nebraska (27-13, 10-4 Big Ten) scored 12 runs on 13 hits, while Iowa (23-17, 9-8 Big Ten) totaled two runs on seven hits.

Josh Caron led the Huskers at the plate, going 3-for-4 with two doubles, a homer, three RBI and two runs scored. Rhett Stokes was 3-for-4 with a double, two RBI and a pair of runs. Tyler Stone had a two-hit performance, while Cole Evans and Joshua Overbeek each homered.

Mason McConnaughey improved to 5-3 on the season after allowing two runs on six hits across 5.1 innings. The sophomore struck out four Hawkeyes and issued two walks. Caleb Clark blanked the Hawkeyes over the final 1.2 innings, surrendering just one hit.

The Hawkeyes plated the game’s first run on Saturday with Ben Wilmes’ solo homer to right to begin the third inning.

Nebraska immediately got the run back off two hits in the bottom half of the third. Consecutive one-out singles from Stokes and Sanderson had runners on first and third, while Silva’s sacrifice bunt scored Stokes to tie the game at one.

McConnaughey worked around a walk and single in the fourth with an inning-ending double play in the fourth to keep the game locked at one apiece.

The Huskers jumped out to a 4-1 lead with three runs behind a trio of hits in the fourth inning. Back-to-back hits down the right-field line broke the one-run tie. Caron opened the inning with a double, while Columbus’ RBI single plated Caron to break the tie.

Evans was plunked on the first pitch, while a sacrifice bunt by Dylan Carey moved Columbus and Evans to second and third. The lead expanded to 4-1 for the Big Red after Stokes smacked a 2-1 pitch through the right side for a two-RBI single.

McConnaughey kept the Hawkeyes off the board after allowing a leadoff double in fifth, while the Husker offense poured on four more runs to expand the lead to 8-1 after five innings.

A one-out single from Stone set up Caron’s 376-foot two-run homer down the right-field line. Columbus drew a one-out walk, before Evans tallied Nebraska’s second two-run home run of the inning with a 370-foot homer into the party porch in right field.

The Hawkeyes drew a baserunner in the top of the sixth with a one-out single through the right side. The game then went into a lightning delay with storms in the area. Following a delay of one hour and 20 minutes, the game was suspended until 11 a.m. on Sunday morning.

The Huskers and Hawkeyes returned to play in the sixth inning at 3:16 p.m. on Sunday afternoon. A walk moved runners to second and third, while an RBI single down the right-field line plated Iowa’s second run of the game to make it an 8-2 game.

Nebraska responded with a run of their own in the sixth to keep it a seven-run lead through the sixth. Stone reached on a two-out walk, before scoring all the way from first on Caron’s RBI double off the wall in right.

Overbeek stretched the lead to 9-2, showing off some light-tower power with a 422-foot solo blast off the light pole beyond the Iowa bullpen in right. Stokes followed with a double to left, and Anglim drew a four-pitch walk to put runners on first and second to set up Stone’s RBI single to right-center.

Caron reached on a two-out walk to load the bases, while Clay Bradford drew a walk to bring home Anglim and clinch the run-rule win for the Huskers.