NU tops Creighton gets taste of Big 12
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by curt mckeever
OMAHA- If the Nebraska baseball team was looking for an instructional on how to have success in the Big 12 Conference, it could look hard at Tuesday's 7-3 win against Creighton.
In its final game before the start of league play, the Huskers got a tiebreaking two-run homer from Alex Gordon in the seventh inning, a career-long outing from starting pitcher Justin Pekarek and 22/3 scoreless innings from three relievers en route to posting their sixth straight win against the Bluejays before a CUSports Complex crowd of 1,438.
"We made some things happen," said first baseman Curtis Ledbetter, who continued his climb from an early-season hitting slump by going 3-for-4 with three RBIs. "We're ready to go. The mentality is there. We're ready for a whole bunch of battles."
In improving to 14-4, Nebraska got a solid outing from left-handed starter Justin Pekarek, who scattered four hits over 61/3 innings.
Pekarek retired 12 straight before giving up a leadoff double to Dan Norquist in the seventh. Norquist eventually scored on a sacrifice fly by former Husker Chase Odenreider, who also doubled in a second-inning run. But Dustin Timm, Brett Jensen and Mike Sillman combined to face just one over the minimum number of batters while preserving Pekarek's third win of the season.
"(Pitching) Coach (Rob) Childress told me to expand the zone," said Pekarek of becoming sharper after giving up two of his three runs in the first three innings. "They're first-pitch swingers, so we started throwing some first-pitch sliders."
Added Odenreider, "He threw both fastballs and curveballs for strikes. When you can do that, it keep guys off balance. He was just throwing strikes. That's the key."
Pekarek ended up with six of Nebraska's nine strikeouts.
"He started off kind of slow, and then he got after it," Gordon said. "It's good to see him go into the seventh."
That's the same inning Nebraska finally got to Creighton reliever Scott Reese.The left-handed freshman had kept the Huskers in check since entering in the third for Eric Wordekemper, who has been experiencing some tendinitis and was held to a 50-pitch limit.
Reese gave up just his third hit when Daniel Bruce lined a one-out double to left. He came back to get Jake Mullinax on a groundout, but with then made a mistake with a 2-1 curveball that Gordon sent towering into the wind well beyond the right field fence.
"He told me to be patient and take what they gave me," Gordon said of a quick chat he had with NUcoach Mike Anderson before the key at-bat. "I knew they didn' want to go after 'Led' too much. He's swinging a hot bat."
The 2003 All-Big 12 Conference designated hitter Ledbetter, who raised his average to .270, then greeted reliever Adam Schaecher to the game by doubling to left before Beau Sullivan singled to make it 5-2 Nebraska.
Creighton (8-9) got a run back in the bottom of the frame, but Ledbetter gave NU more breathing room with two outs in the ninth by hitting a first-pitch, two-run single off Brandon Bird.
"I've been feeling better, but today it was the old me," said the junior from Lawrence, Kan. "I took some big swings today."
Ledbetter got the Huskers on the board in a two-run third by singling up the middle off Reese. That scored Mullinax, who had doubled off Wordekemper. Gordon, who had walked and was on third, then scored on a groundout by Sullivan.
Creighton tied the game in the bottom of the inning on back-to-back doubles by Tony Daniel and Tony Roth. The Bluejays had taken a 1-0 lead in the second when Zach Daeges, who had walked and advanced to second on a sacrifice, scored on Odenreider's two-out double to left.
Nebraska also got a three-hit game from the junior right fielder Bruce, while Mullinax went 2-for-5.
n Next up for the Huskers is a Big 12-opening, three-game weekend series against Kansas at Haymarket Park. Game times are at 2:05 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and 1:05 on Sunday.
n Creighton travels to 2003 College World Series participant Southwest Missouri State for its Missouri Valley Conference-opening series this weekend.
n Fox Sports Net (cable 37) announced Tuesday that it will broadcast six Big 12 Conference games this year, including the 3 p.m. April 24 Nebraska game at Texas. The network will also air the conference tournament semifinals on May 29 and championship on May 30.
Reach Curt McKeever at 473-7441 or cmckeever@;journalstar.com.
NEBRASKA 7, CREIGHTON 3
Nebraska ab r h bi Creighton ab r h bi
Boyer lf 5 0 1 0 Roth 2b 4 0 1 1
Bruce rf 5 2 3 0 Dutton 3b 1 0 0 0
Mullinax 2b 5 2 2 0 Hammer ph-3b 1 0 0 0
Gordon 3b 4 2 1 2 M. Daeges ph-cf 1 0 0 0
Ledbetter 1b 4 1 3 3 Lapito ch-3b 4 0 0 0
Sullivan dh 4 0 1 2 Z.Daeges rf 3 1 1 0
Grose c 2 0 0 0 Norquist lf 3 1 1 0
Shockey cf 2 0 0 0 Wiedewitsch 1b 4 0 0 0
Simokaitis ss 3 0 0 0 Odenreider ss 3 0 1 2
Schultz dh 3 0 1 0
Daniel c 3 1 1 0
Totals 34 7 11 7 Totals 30 3 6 3
Nebraska 002 000 302 - 7 11 0
Creighton 011 000 100 - 3 6 0
DP-Creighton 2. LOB-Nebraska 7, Creighton 4. 2B-Boyer (2), Bruce (2), Mullinax(5), Ledbetter (2), Roth (6), Norquist (9), Schultz (5), Daniel (2). HR-Gordon (6). S-BDutton(1), Norquist (3). SF-Odenreider (2). SB-Grose (2), CS-Ledbetter (1).
Nebraska ip h r er bb so
Pekarek W 61/3 4 3 3 1 6
Timm 2/3 1 0 0 0 0
Jensen 1 1 0 0 0 2
Sillman 1 0 0 0 0 0
Creighton ip h r er bb so
Wordekemper 21/3 2 1 1 2 1
Reese L 41/3 4 3 3 1 1
Schaecher 1/3 2 1 1 0 0
Bird 2 3 2 2 0 0
Jensen faced 1 batter in the 9th.
W-Pekarek(3-0). L-Reese (0-2). HBP-by Wordekemper (Shockey), by Reese (Grose), byReese (Grose), by Bird (Shockey). T-2:26. A-1,438.
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