LINCOLN, Neb. (Interstat) — A dominant start from Carson Jasa and a late solo home run from Jett Buck propelled the Nebraska Cornhuskers to a 3-1 victory over the Michigan State Spartans in a tightly contested Big Ten baseball game Saturday at Haymarket Park.

The win improved Nebraska’s record to 9-5 overall, while Michigan State fell to 3-10.

The most important part of the game unfolded in the middle innings, where Nebraska’s pitching staff strangled multiple Michigan State scoring threats to protect a narrow lead. After the Spartans scratched out a run in the fourth to take a 1-0 advantage, the Cornhuskers responded immediately in the bottom half. Buck doubled and scored on Will Jesske’s RBI single to tie the game.

Nebraska then seized the lead for good in the fifth, capitalizing on a Michigan State error. Mac Moyer doubled and later scored on a fielding error by the Spartans’ first baseman, giving the Cornhuskers a 2-1 edge. Michigan State threatened in the sixth, putting two runners on with only one out, but reliever Caleb Clark entered and induced a foul out and a strikeout to end the inning.

Jasa, Nebraska’s top star, set the tone with a powerful five-inning performance. He allowed one earned run on four hits, striking out nine Spartans and walking three to earn the win. His outing was a stark turnaround from his previous start on Feb. 28, when he allowed four earned runs in just one inning against Auburn.

Michigan State starter Carter Monke was effective in his 4 2/3 innings, yielding just two hits and one earned run while striking out four. The Spartans’ bullpen was also strong, as Brady Chambers and Tommy Szczepanski combined for 3 1/3 innings of hitless relief, striking out five.

However, Buck provided Nebraska with a critical insurance run in the seventh inning, launching a solo home run to left field off Chambers to extend the lead to 3-1. Buck finished the day 2 for 4 with two extra-base hits.

From there, Nebraska’s bullpen closed the door. Cooper Katskee was flawless over the final two innings, striking out three and allowing no hits to secure the save. Michigan State managed just six hits total and struck out 16 times as a team.

Moyer led Nebraska’s eight-hit attack, going 3 for 5 with a double and a run scored.

The victory gave Nebraska a 2-0 series lead after winning a 10-inning thriller 5-4 on Friday. The teams conclude the three-game series Sunday afternoon.

The result defied the pregame projection from Interstat’s game simulator, which had forecast a 5-2 Nebraska victory, though it aligned with the system’s expectation that the Cornhuskers held a 70.7% probability to win.