Huskers top Oklahoma at Haymarket Park
digg it!
Facebook
del.icio.us
Seed Newsvine
Fark It
Reddit
BY KEN HAMBLETON / Lincoln Journal Star
The Nebraska baseball team acted like it was running one of those keep-trying-but-you’ll-never-get-the-big-prize carnival games with Oklahoma on Saturday at Haymarket Park.
The Huskers, 17-3 overall and 5-0 in the Big 12, appeared on the brink of disaster time and again but never lost control in a 4-3 victory before 3,496 hearty fans.
Oklahoma got the leadoff runner on base seven times, had two runners on base five times, had what appeared to be a leadoff home run and still didn’t score until a wild-pitch third strike in the ninth inning.
“Yesterday we were 1-for-15 with runners in scoring position,” said Oklahoma coach Sonny Golloway. “I’m afraid to look at it today. I’m going to be sick.”
Saturday, Oklahoma was 1-for-12 with runners in scoring position.
Husker starter Thad Weber was masterful after the first batter of each of his seven innings pitched.
He got groundballs for two double plays, and struck out five batters with runners in scoring position.
Only in the ninth, when reliever Erik Anderson was tagged for four hits and three runs, did Nebraska appear in serious trouble. But relievers Zach Herr and Mike Nesseth ended that threat, too.
The Huskers took control when Nick Sullivan singled in two runs in the first inning and Jake Opitz, who also singled in a run in the first, slammed a parking-lot home run to right in the seventh inning.
“You call them unusual games, we call them Big 12 games,” said Opitz, Nebraska’s senior second baseman. “The offensive thing is try and get a guy on every inning. They are doing a great job to get the lead-off guys on. But it was a great job by our pitchers to end that.”
Weber (4-1) gave up nine hits, walked three and struck out six. On Friday, Husker ace Johnny Dorn also gave up nine hits, but Nebraska rallied on a ninth-inning home run by Craig Corriston.
“Johnny and I were talking about how many lead-off guys and how many hits,” said Weber, a senior from Friend. “But that goes back to Johnny’s competitiveness and mine as well.”
Husker coach Mike Anderson said Weber’s pitching and composure in tough situations was similar to Dorn’s.
“I think Johnny shows how to do that kind of stuff and other guys learn how to follow,” he said. Anderson explained that, like Dorn, Weber stepped off the back of the mound, took his time and didn’t let the pressure build.
“The biggest thing I see is that when something like that happens, pitchers try to do too much and come out of their comfort zone.”
The Sooners opened the game with two singles on Weber’s first two pitches. But he got Aaron Baker to ground into a double play and J.T. Wise to ground to third.
In the third, with two on and no outs, Weber struck out the next two batters and got Wise to fly to center. In the fourth, with two on and one out, Husker shortstop Ben Kline started a double play. Weber struck out Baker with two on and two out in the fifth. After Wise hit a ground-rule double and Jamie Johnson followed with a single to open the sixth, Weber struck out two and coaxed a fly ball from Casey Johnson.
Said Weber: “One time I got the lead-off guy. I didn’t have the stuff and didn’t execute as well as I should have but kept going out and competing and gave the defense a chance to work.”
The two teams close the series Sunday with a game at 1:05 p.m.
Reach Ken Hambleton at 473-7313 or khambleton@journalstar.com.
Most Commented news