Nebraska eliminates Purdue from Big Ten tourney with 6-2 win

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Brett Sears and Drew Christo combined on a two-hitter and Nebraska defeated Purdue 6-2 in an elimination game at the Big 10 Tournament on Wednesday night.

Sears, 8-0 with a 2.02 ERA coming in, pitched six innings, allowing both hits and two runs (one earned). Christo (S1) finished the final three innings, giving up no hits while striking out four and walking none.

Second-seeded Nebraska, which lost 15-2 to Ohio State on Tuesday, stayed alive thanks to the dominant pitching performance and a four-run second inning that featured RBI doubles by Cole Evans and Joshua Overbeek.

Luke Gaffney staked Purdue to a 1-0 lead with a first-inning home run before Nebraska’s big second inning. Purdue got to within 4-2 in the bottom of the second, but Nebraska’s Gabe Swansen answered with a solo home run in the third. Josh Caron hit a leadoff home run in the ninth for the Cornhuskers.

Purdue’s two hits were Gaffney’s home run and a second-inning single by Logan Sutter, who came around to score the Boilermakers’ other run.

Purdue starter Luke Wagner (7-2) took the loss after allowing five runs and six hits in two innings.

On Friday, Nebraska (35-20) will play the loser of Thursday’s winner’s bracket game between Ohio State and Indiana. Sixth-seeded Purdue (34-20) was eliminated.