Behind the first home run of the season, Nebraska defeated the Northern Colorado Bears 8-2 to kickoff their eight game homestand. Matt Waldron went five innings, giving up two runs to pick up the win.
Nebraska got on the board after Waldron set down the Bears in order in the first. Walks to Mojo Hagge and Ben Miller put two runners on for Scott Scrheiber who hammered a ball to left center for a three run blast. The home run was the first of the season for the Huskers.
The Huskers would add another three spot in the third. Luis Alvarado doubled, and then scored on a single from Schreiber. Singles from Jake Meyers, Jesse Wilkening, and Alex Raburn would chase Bears starting pitcher Justin Mulvaney.
Northern Colorado would get a pair back in the fifth. Four singles from the Bears would pull them within four with runners at the corners and only one out. Waldron would get a strikeout of Jack Pauley and a lineout from Brett Minnick.
Nebraska stretched the lead back out to six with a pair of runs in the bottom half of the fifth. Schreiber would walk and Meyers would single to put Huskers on the corners. A wild pitch, stolen base, fielding error, and a pickoff error allowed both Meyers and Schreiber to score.
Northern Colorado would threaten in the seventh, loading the bases with zero outs. Robbie Palkert would get a fly ball and then battle with Pauley for eight pitches to get a 4-6-3 double play to get out of the jam.
Jake McSteen came in to pitch the eighth and ninth for the Huskers. McSteen worked out of trouble in the ninth after giving up a leadoff double and a walk. A pair of strikeouts and a groundball would end the threat, giving the Huskers their first winning streak of the 2017 season.
With the win, Nebraska moves to 4-6 on the season, while Northern Colorado falls to 6-8. The Huskers and Bears finish their midweek series tomorrow when the two teams meet at Haymarket Park for a 1:35 rematch.