Nebraska pulling off a doubleheader sweep of Texas A&M in Haymarket Park Sunday seemed about as likely as the Huskers getting the five ninth-inning runs they needed to win the opener.

They accomplished the first task, though, to break the Aggies’ 16-game Big 12 Conference winning streak with a 9-8 decision, then kept them from clinching the regular-season title by scoring three eighth-inning runs to take the nightcap 13-10.

“Given all that stuff, I don’t know if anything compares — maybe winning a state championship in high school,” said freshman David Stewart, who drove in seven runs after getting just his fourth and fifth starts in Big 12 play as NU’s designated hitter. “I’ve never been anywhere with such fans like this and just intensity of the game.

“Unbelievable day.”

The outcomes let Nebraska improve to 38-9-1 overall and 17-6-1 in the league, and hopeful of making up 1½ games in the standings to A&M (42-10, 19-5) over the final three contests next weekend.

The Huskers, who hold a 1½-game edge on Oklahoma State and cannot finish lower than third, conclude league Big 12-play with a series at Missouri, while the Aggies play Texas, once in Austin before finishing up in College Station.

“The bottom line, if we execute the routine. … it’s a different series,” said A&M coach Rob Childress, who spent eight seasons tutoring NU pitchers. “But I still give Nebraska all the credit. They’re as good a pitching staff as we’ve seen all year.”

In the end, it was right-handed redshirt freshman Mike Nesseth who closed the books on the Aggies, blanking them on one hit over the final 2 2/3 innings of the nightcap.

On the day, though, A&M’s defense was its worst enemy, as the Aggies committed eight errors that led to 10 unearned runs — including three of the five during the ninth-inning of the opener and all three in the eighth inning of Game 2.

After producing the second-largest comeback in Mike Anderson’s six seasons to win game one, NU topped itself in the nightcap by overcoming a 9-4 deficit entering the bottom of the sixth inning.

A&M had six errors in the contest, including two in the decisive eighth inning, when NU broke a 10-10 tie.

Tyler Farst started Nebraska’s final flurry by reaching on an error by shortstop Jose Duran, then scored after DJ Belfonte singled up the middle and center fielder Kyle Colligan played it into a two-base error by letting the ball get past him while trying to grab it bare-handed.

Stewart, who drove in five runs in the opener, then hit an RBI single over a drawn-in infield to make it 12-10. After advancing on Ben Kline’s groundout, Stewart then scored on Bryce Nimmo’s single to center.

In the first game, senior catcher Mitch Abeita’s two-out RBI single capped the five-run outburst that turned the Huskers into giddy, celebrating kids.

“I thought our dugout was a little bit down, but I guess I was wrong,” Anderson said.

Added Abeita, “We had a tough game, but we never gave in. Not surprised. Not surprised at all.“

A&M had erased a 4-2 deficit by scoring four runs with two outs in the fifth, then got another two when the shortstop Kline made an error with two outs in the sixth.

The Aggies cruised into the last inning with reliever Kyle Thebeau having held NU hitless since he entered the contest with one in the fifth. But Nick Sullivan started the comeback with a single, and after Farst reached on a fielding error by second baseman Blake Stouffer, Thebeau walked Belfonte.

Stewart, who had driven in the Huskers’ first four runs, then hit a grounder that first baseman Luke Anders misplayed for a run-costing error.

Nebraska then called on Cody Neer to pinch-hit, and the junior stroked a 1-0 pitch to left-center field for a two-run single. NU then pulled even on Nimmo’s fielder’s choice grounder to shortstop.

A&M stuck with Thebeau, who owns the Big 12’s best earned-run average, and he came back to strike out Jake Mort.

But Jake Opitz coaxed a walk that advanced Nimmo to second, giving the Huskers a runner in scoring position.

Abeita, 1-for-11 in the series when he came to the plate, was left gathering himself twice after missing badly at a 1-2 delivery, but then promptly pulled Thebeau’s next pitch sharply between shortstop and second base, allowing Nimmo to race home and be greeted by nearly the entire team.

“We still have goals set,” said Dan Jennings, who pitched 3 1/3 innings of scoreless relief to earn the victory. “We still have our eyes set on a Big 12 championship, so we have to keep going.“

Briefly

** After originally being penciled in for the opening game, senior first baseman Craig Corriston ended up sitting out Sunday’s action because of a swollen right knee. Corriston had arthroscopic surgery on April 30 and played in Friday’s 6-3, 16-inning loss to A&M.

** Before heading to Missouri, Nebraska has a game against Creighton in Omaha’s Rosenblatt Stadium at 7 p.m. Tuesday.

Reach Curt McKeever at 473-7441 or cmckeever@journalstar.com.