Mon Feb 17 00:00:00 UTC 2025: ## Nebraska Holds Off Vanderbilt Comeback in Desert Showdown
**PHOENIX, AZ –** The No. 24 Nebraska Cornhuskers defeated the No. 16 Vanderbilt Commodores 6-4 Saturday night at the MLB Desert Invitational, evening both teams’ records at 1-1.
Nebraska jumped out to an early 3-0 lead in the first inning, but Vanderbilt answered quickly with a solo home run from RJ Austin and an RBI double from Colin Barczi, cutting the deficit to 3-2. Barczi added another RBI later in the game.
The Cornhuskers added runs in the third and seventh innings, extending their lead to 6-3 after a two-run homer in the seventh. Vanderbilt mounted a late rally in the eighth, scoring a run on an RBI single by Rustan Rigdon, but Nebraska held on for the win.
Vanderbilt’s pitching staff combined for 15 strikeouts, with Ethan McElvain leading the way with seven in 2.2 innings. Jacob Schulz made his collegiate debut in relief, pitching two scoreless innings with three strikeouts.
The Commodores will face UC Irvine on Sunday at 1 p.m. CT in their final game of the tournament, a matchup that will be streamed on MLB.com.
First Piper 