OMAHA, Neb. – The second-seeded Nebraska Cornhuskers won the nightcap at the Big Ten Baseball Championship Saturday, getting past the Michigan Wolverines 6-4 before a largely red-clad crowd that showed up despite the game starting at 11 p.m. CDT.
Case Sanderson propelled the Huskers, going 3-for-4 with a double, a triple, a run scored and three RBIs, and Rhett Stokes had a pair of RBIs for Nebraska in the win.
Nebraska got on the board in the bottom of the first when Sanderson tripled down the right field line, allowing Dylan Carey and Jeter Worthley to score and give the Cornhuskers a 2-0 lead.
Michigan tied the game in the top of the fourth, getting one run when Evan Haeger’s ground out to first base allowed Colby Turner to score. Cade Ladehoff followed Haeger with a double to right center, scoring Brayden Jefferis to tie the game at two apiece.
In the bottom of the inning, Rhett Stokes singled to left, scoring Drew Grego and Sanderson to re-establish a two-run Nebraska lead.
The lead lasted just two innings, as Michigan’s Matthew Ossenfort hit a two-run homer in the top of the seventh to tie the game for the Wolverines.
But Case Sanderson wasn’t done, hitting a two-run single in the bottom of the seventh to give Nebraska a 6-4 lead, scoring Worthley and Rhett Stokes to make it 6-4.
Nebraska starter Carson Jasa went six innings, allowing four runs on four hits and striking out eight, and relievers Tyler Horn and J’Shawn Unger combined to throw three hitless, scoreless innings to preserve the win.
NCAA Tournament Implications – With the loss, Michigan fell to No. 52 in the RPI as of Saturday morning, putting them on the bubble for an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament.
Weather and the Schedule – The start of this game was originally scheduled for 5 p.m. CDT, and midway through the game between UCLA and Purdue, the Big Ten announced that the third quarterfinal game between Nebraska and Michigan would begin at 11 p.m. CDT if the game between UCLA and Purdue ended by 10:20 p.m. Several members of the media were keeping track of the time as UCLA batted in the ninth, and the general consensus was that Levu crossed the plate to end the game at 10:19:47 p.m., making the curfew by 13 seconds. The game started exactly 40 minutes after the previous game ended, with the first pitch coming at 11 p.m. CDT.
The fourth quarterfinal, originally scheduled for 9 p.m. CDT Friday, will be played on Saturday at 10 a.m., with the semifinals to follow.
Where to Watch – The entire 2026 Big Ten Baseball Championship will be broadcast live on the Big Ten Network and the games will also be available on the FOX Sports App.
2026 Big Ten Tournament Schedule
All times Eastern Daylight Time
All games played at Charles Schwab Field, Omaha, Nebraska
Tuesday, May 19
No. 12 Michigan State 8, No. 5 Purdue 4 – Game 1 – Recap
No. 8 Iowa 10, No. 9 Illinois 6 – Game 2 – Recap
No. 7 Michigan 10, No. 10 Rutgers 0 (Seven Innings) – Game 3 – Recap
No. 11 Washington 8, No. 6 Ohio State 6 – Game 4 – Recap
Wednesday, May 20
No. 5 Purdue 3, No. 9 Illinois 1 – Game 5 – Recap
No. 6 Ohio State 3, No. 10 Rutgers 2 – Game 6 – Recap
No. 12 Michigan State 4, No. 8 Iowa 3 – Game 7 – Recap
No. 11 Washington 7, No. 7 Michigan 1 – Game 8 – Recap
Thursday, May 21
No. 5 Purdue 8, No. 8 Iowa 1 – Game 9
No. 7 Michigan 3, No. 6 Ohio State 0 – Game 10
Friday, May 22
No. 4 Southern California 7, No. 12 Michigan State 0 – Game 11
No. 1 UCLA 4, No. 5 Purdue 3 – Game 12
No. 2 Nebraska 6, No. 7 Michigan 4 – Game 13
Saturday, May 23
10 a.m. – No. 11 Washington vs. No. 3 Oregon – Game 14
2 p.m. – No. 4 Southern California vs. No. 1 UCLA 4 – Semifinal 1 – Game 15
6 p.m. – No. 2 Nebraska vs. Game 14 Winning Team – Semifinal 2 – Game 16
Sunday, May 24
3 p.m. EDT – Championship Game
Photo: Matthew Ossenfort homered to tie the game for Michigan, but it wasn’t enough to beat Nebraska. (Courtesy of Michigan Athletics)
