Huskers sweep doubleheader with Baylor
WACO, Texas — This was the grand-prize question posed to DJ Belfonte after the Nebraska sophomore had just delivered his biggest hit of the season here Saturday:
How many of the 12 batters who faced a no-ball, two-strike count during the Huskers’ 6-4, 10-inning victory against Baylor ended up reaching base?
“Ten?” Belfonte guessed.
Try one.
“That shows how much I really pay attention,” said Belfonte. who bounced an 0-2, two-out pitch from Willie Kempf up the middle for a two-run single. That gave the eighth-ranked Huskers their first win in their last nine tries at Baylor Ballpark.
Belfonte hardly needed to ask for forgiveness.
Not only did he help extend NU’s streak of not having lost when taking a lead into the ninth inning to 113 consecutive games (112-0-1), he also sparked the Huskers’ first sweep in their previous 12 league road doubleheaders.
Fueled by a seven-run first inning, Nebraska won 14-1 in the nightcap, shortened to seven innings because of the mercy rule. The sweep helped NU keep pressure on league leader Texas A&M, which earlier in the day beat Missouri for its 14th straight Big 12 win.
The Huskers prevailed in the opener after pinch hitter Brooks Kimmey hit a two-run homer off Dan Jennings to tie the game with one out in the ninth. On Tuesday against Creighton, Jennings had given up his first run in 301/3 innings, and he hadn’t given up an extra-base hit in his previous 10 outings.
“I wouldn’t say that shocking of an event has happened to this team,” NU coach Mike Anderson said of Kimmey’s blast to left field. “The response was, ‘Hey, settle ourselves down so we don’t give up (another) run,’ and we ended up doing it. I’m proud of the kids for just staying resilient.”
Baylor had threatened to win in the ninth, as Gregg Glime singled to left with two outs and Shaver Hansen walked. But freshman right-hander Mike Nesseth came in and got Raynor Campbell on a smash hit right at first baseman Craig Corriston to end the inning.
Nebraska had broken a tie to go up 4-2 on Belfonte’s RBI single to center field with two outs in the eighth. A throwing error by Baylor first baseman Dustin Dickerson allowed another runner home.
Belfonte’s game-deciding hit, off the pitcher listed to start for Baylor on Sunday, came after gotten a reprieve when Hansen couldn’t come up with a pop foul that landed in the photo well next to the Baylor dugout.
Jake Opitz had opened the inning by walking and moved to second on a sacrifice. Kempf then walked Nick Sullivan before throwing a wild pitch that put runners at second and third. With the infield drawn in, Corriston hit a smash that Hansen snared for the second out, leaving it up to Belfonte to get the job done.
So what was he thinking facing a 0-2 hole?
“That’s a pitcher’s-advantage count, where he could almost throw you anything he wants and you’ve just got to protect yourself,” said Belfonte, who, after fouling off an 0-2 fastball, drove a breaking pitch. “It’s obviously a count where you have to fight and you just can’t give up.”
Anderson noted 0-2 counts leave pitching coaches with a wide assortment of options.
“To me, it’s hard for that reason, because it’s such a scramble to what they might throw,” he said. “Are they going to come at you, are they going to waste one up? You have to be disciplined to lay off.
“I thought he did a great job with the whole at-bat, (but) he got lucky with Hansen’s drop there. It got him right in the glove. It was great effort, but it was a catchable ball.”
The Huskers then handed the Bears their fifth straight home loss, something that had never happened in the stadium’s nine-plus-year history and not in Waco since 1994.
Saturday night’s result represented Baylor’s most-lopsided home loss since Texas Tech took a 16-3 decision in 1997.
“You would expect a team that lost a close ballgame like that to come out and be really aggressive to compete and win,”said NU senior right-hander Thad Weber, who scattered four hits to earn his team-high eighth win.
“We just did an unbelievable job in the top of that first inning to go out there and be aggressive ourselves and swing the momentum even before they can try and get it. Give a lot of credit to our guys.”
Briefly
The teams are scheduled to conclude the series with a 1 p.m. contest Sunday, but the weather forecast calls for a 100 percent chance of rain.
Reach Curt McKeever at 473-7441 or cmckeever@journalstar.com.
How many of the 12 batters who faced a no-ball, two-strike count during the Huskers’ 6-4, 10-inning victory against Baylor ended up reaching base?
“Ten?” Belfonte guessed.
Try one.
“That shows how much I really pay attention,” said Belfonte. who bounced an 0-2, two-out pitch from Willie Kempf up the middle for a two-run single. That gave the eighth-ranked Huskers their first win in their last nine tries at Baylor Ballpark.
Belfonte hardly needed to ask for forgiveness.
Not only did he help extend NU’s streak of not having lost when taking a lead into the ninth inning to 113 consecutive games (112-0-1), he also sparked the Huskers’ first sweep in their previous 12 league road doubleheaders.
Fueled by a seven-run first inning, Nebraska won 14-1 in the nightcap, shortened to seven innings because of the mercy rule. The sweep helped NU keep pressure on league leader Texas A&M, which earlier in the day beat Missouri for its 14th straight Big 12 win.
The Huskers prevailed in the opener after pinch hitter Brooks Kimmey hit a two-run homer off Dan Jennings to tie the game with one out in the ninth. On Tuesday against Creighton, Jennings had given up his first run in 301/3 innings, and he hadn’t given up an extra-base hit in his previous 10 outings.
“I wouldn’t say that shocking of an event has happened to this team,” NU coach Mike Anderson said of Kimmey’s blast to left field. “The response was, ‘Hey, settle ourselves down so we don’t give up (another) run,’ and we ended up doing it. I’m proud of the kids for just staying resilient.”
Baylor had threatened to win in the ninth, as Gregg Glime singled to left with two outs and Shaver Hansen walked. But freshman right-hander Mike Nesseth came in and got Raynor Campbell on a smash hit right at first baseman Craig Corriston to end the inning.
Nebraska had broken a tie to go up 4-2 on Belfonte’s RBI single to center field with two outs in the eighth. A throwing error by Baylor first baseman Dustin Dickerson allowed another runner home.
Belfonte’s game-deciding hit, off the pitcher listed to start for Baylor on Sunday, came after gotten a reprieve when Hansen couldn’t come up with a pop foul that landed in the photo well next to the Baylor dugout.
Jake Opitz had opened the inning by walking and moved to second on a sacrifice. Kempf then walked Nick Sullivan before throwing a wild pitch that put runners at second and third. With the infield drawn in, Corriston hit a smash that Hansen snared for the second out, leaving it up to Belfonte to get the job done.
So what was he thinking facing a 0-2 hole?
“That’s a pitcher’s-advantage count, where he could almost throw you anything he wants and you’ve just got to protect yourself,” said Belfonte, who, after fouling off an 0-2 fastball, drove a breaking pitch. “It’s obviously a count where you have to fight and you just can’t give up.”
Anderson noted 0-2 counts leave pitching coaches with a wide assortment of options.
“To me, it’s hard for that reason, because it’s such a scramble to what they might throw,” he said. “Are they going to come at you, are they going to waste one up? You have to be disciplined to lay off.
“I thought he did a great job with the whole at-bat, (but) he got lucky with Hansen’s drop there. It got him right in the glove. It was great effort, but it was a catchable ball.”
The Huskers then handed the Bears their fifth straight home loss, something that had never happened in the stadium’s nine-plus-year history and not in Waco since 1994.
Saturday night’s result represented Baylor’s most-lopsided home loss since Texas Tech took a 16-3 decision in 1997.
“You would expect a team that lost a close ballgame like that to come out and be really aggressive to compete and win,”said NU senior right-hander Thad Weber, who scattered four hits to earn his team-high eighth win.
“We just did an unbelievable job in the top of that first inning to go out there and be aggressive ourselves and swing the momentum even before they can try and get it. Give a lot of credit to our guys.”
Briefly
The teams are scheduled to conclude the series with a 1 p.m. contest Sunday, but the weather forecast calls for a 100 percent chance of rain.
Reach Curt McKeever at 473-7441 or cmckeever@journalstar.com.
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