Huskers sweep Saturday's double-header, take series from Rutgers

There were two directions Nebraska's weekend could have gone after a crushing, walk-off defeat again Rutgers Friday afternoon. Darin Erstad even admitted that his team seemed a bit "shell-shocked" early on Saturday and needed some prodding to get going.

But did the Huskers ever wake up. They easily dispatched the Scarlet Knights in game one with an 8-1 victory, then quickly left no doubt about how the nightcap would play out. Nebraska (28-16, 8-6) jumped all over RU in the first inning, got a dominant outing from Jake Meyers and finished off the double header sweep with a 8-4 win.

"I was really pleased the second half of the first game and pretty much the entire second game when we started to swing the bats like we can," Erstad said during his postgame appearance on the Husker Sports Network. "Hopefully that's a sign of things to come."

The Huskers wasted no time setting the tone for the game. Jake Placzek and Ryan Boldt led off the game with a pair of singles, then Ben Miller brought them both in with a double. Taylor Fish added an RBI single a few batters later to make it 3-0.

The Huskers scored again in the third when Scott Schreiber reached on an error by Rutgers' third baseman. Schreiber didn't need any such help in his next at-bat, blasting a two-run home run in the fifth inning.

Then Boldt, in the midst of a baffling slump, laced a line-drive home run to right center in the following frame to make it 7-0.

Nebraska compiled 15 hits, including four doubles, and Miller, Schreiber and Jake Schleppenbach all had three base knocks.

"Eventually we have to start swinging the bats," Erstad said. "We've been ice cold... it was good to see some of our big boys get their swings off."

That was enough for Jake Meyers, who has been lights out since taking over the No. 3 role in the weekend rotation. Meyers walked the leadoff batter, then retired the next ten he faced. The sophomore didn't allow a hit until the sixth inning, where he ran into a bit of trouble. The Scarlet Knights loaded the bases with one out, but Meyers coaxed an inning-ending double play.

Meyers had just three walks and two hits allowed in his six shutout innings. He has allowed just one earned run in his last three starts combined.

"I'm not making it up - it starts on the mound," Erstad said. "You have to play quality defense and we turned a few double plays."

The only bad news came in the bottom of the ninth. Senior Colton Howell, who's been out with an upper GI issue, entered to pitch for the first time since April 2. He walked a pair and gave up three hits, the last of which was a bases-clearing double, before being removed for Jake McSteen. McSteen gave up a single that plated another run before finally ending the game with a ground out to third.

The Huskers, who had previously lost five straight Big Ten contests coming into Saturday, now appear to have momentum back on their side. They'll need it with a big series at Michigan State next weekend.

"It's all reactive, and that's something we talk about," Erstad said. "We have to take that, bottle that mentality we had today into the first game of a weekend. You have to create your own atmosphere, your own intensity, your own excitement, all that stuff.

"You can't be reactive all the time. That's something that we've done and I think that's standard for a lot of teams. But to take that next step we're going to have to come out on Saturday in East Lansing and set the tone."

***Meyers extended his hitting streak to eight games.

***Steven Reveles swiped a base in the fifth, his 10th steal in 15 tries.

***Schleppenbach had his first three-hit game of the season.

***Placzek struck out looking three times and four times total. He was fanned six times in the doubleheader, four of the looking variety.