Baseball
April 22, 2001
Kansas Downs NU, 12-3
Lawrence, Kan. -- Pete Smart allowed three runs on six hits in
seven innings, as Kansas snapped third-ranked Nebraska’s nine-game
winning streak with a 12-3 victory in front of 550 fans at Hoglund
Ballpark Sunday afternoon.
Smart, a left-hander from
Omaha, struck out six and walked five to improve to 8-2 on the season,
as the Jayhawks (17-26 overall, 5-19 Big 12) ended a five-game losing
streak and defeated Nebraska for the first time in nine tries since
the 1997 season. With the loss, the Huskers, who had won 17 of their
last 18 contests, fell to 34-9 overall and 15-4 in the conference.
“Today was a frustrating
day and there will be days like that during the season,” Nebraska
Coach Dave Van Horn said. “We hit the ball hard right at people
and they were able to get hits through the hole or dropping in front
of our outfielders.”
Kansas struck early, scoring
three runs in each of the first two innings, including five of Husker
starter Brian Rodaway, who lasted just 1.2 innings, allowing five
runs on six hits, to fall to 2-1 on the year.
In the first, a one-out
double to Jason Appuhn and a single by Ryan Klocksein put runners
on first and third before Jesse Gremminger hit a slow roller down
the third base line. Rodaway threw home, but Appuhn beat Jed Morris’
tag for KU’s first run. Matt Van Alsburg’s increased the
margin to 3-0 with a two-run single to center.
“Our pitching was
not as sharp as we have been,” Van Horn said. “We missed
a lot of spots and they took advantage our our mistakes, especially
early on.”
Appuhn and Klocksein each
had three hits, as KU pounded out 16 hits off seven Husker pitchers
in the win.
The Jayhawks pushed the
margin to 6-0, scoring three runs - all with two outs - in the second.
Appuhn singled, stole second and scored on Klocksein’s RBI double
off the wall in left. R.D. Spiehs came into the game for Rodaway,
and got a Gremminger to ground to NU second baseman Josh Hesse, but
his throw was wide, allowing Klocksein to score from second and Gremminger
to advance to second. Brent DelChairo walked, putting runners on first
and second before Gremminger stole third and scored on a double steal
with Delchairo.
The Huskers finally scored
in the fourth, as Matt Hopper singled to left, advanced on an errant
pickoff attempt by Smart and scored on Dan Johnson’s RBI double.
NU continued to threaten as Jeff Blevins was hit by a pitch, putting
runners on first and second, but Smart got out of the inning as Jed
Morris and Hesse both flew out. In the sixth, NU, which left 12 runners
on base, loaded the bases on three consecutive walks, but Smart pitched
out of trouble, striking out Hesse and getting Jeff Leise to ground
out to first.
The Huskers cut the lead
to 7-3 on a two-run single by John Cole in the seventh, but could
not get closer, as KU put the contest away with five runs in the bottom
half of the frame.
Cole, Hopper and Johnson
had two hits each for the Huskers in the losing effort.
The Huskers return to action
on Tuesday evening, when the Huskers play host to Creighton at 6:30
p.m. The game will also be shown state-wide of netv2.
& 
