Baseball 2001
Huskers
Post 7-1 Win over Oklahoma
March 30
Norman, Okla. - All-America right-hander Shane Komine struck
out 11 and allowed one unearned run, as eight-ranked Nebraska posted
a 7-1 victory over Oklahoma in front of 988 fans at L. Dale Mitchell
Field Friday evening in Norman.
Komine, a junior, scatted four hits and threw his third complete game
in the last five starts and the 11th complete game of his career to
improve to 7-1 on the season. The Honolulu, Hawaii native retired
21 of 23 Sooners at one point in picking up his seventh consecutive
win.
"He spotted his fastball
effectively and got ahead of hitters tonight," Nebraska Coach
Dave Van Horn said. "When we got up 3-1, we were pretty confident
because Shane was throwing so well."
He's an outstanding pitcher
and that is why he was Big 12 Player of the Year last season,"
Oklahoma coach Larry Cochell said. "Out hitting was average tonight
and he pitched well."
"I felt great out
there," Komine said. "My curveball was working well, and
I was able to throw my pitches well."
Nebraska broke open a 3-1
contest, scoring one in the eighth and adding three in the ninth to
improve to 20-7 on the year and 6-2 in the Big 12. OU, which tied
a season low with four hits, dipped to 10-20 and 5-8 in league play.
Oklahoma took a 1-0 lead,
scoring an unearned run off Komine in the bottom of the first . With
one out, Jason Bartlett doubled down the left field line, moved to
second on a passed ball and scored on Greg Dobbs' grounder that was
thrown away by Husker shortstop Will Bolt.
Nebraska knotted score
at one in the top of the third on an RBI single by Bolt. Jeff Leise
reached on an error to start the inning, stole second and scored as
Bolt singled up the middle. The junior from Conroe, Texas, had been
just .197 over the last 21 games and two for his last 17 in the last
five games, went 3-for-4 with a walk in the win.
In the fifth, the Huskers
knocked OU starter Michael Bradbury out of the game, scoring a pair
of runs to take a 3-1 lead. Adam Stern, who went 2-for-5 with an RBI,
and Bolt started the inning with back-to-back singles before Matt
Hopper's sacrifice put runners on second and third with one out. Dan
Johnson brought home NU's second run on slow rolling grounder that
was booted by OU shortstop Sergio Garcia, allowing Stern to score
from third. John Cole then increased the NU lead to 3-1, doubling
to left center to score Bolt. Cole went 2-for-5 as NU pounded out
13 hits.
Bradbury, who was not originally
penciled in as Friday's starter, allowed three runs in 4.2 innings,
allowing six hits and walking three.
The Huskers added another
run of OU reliever Austin Coose in the top of the eighth. With two
outs, Leise singled off the leg of second baseman Matt Fisher before
Stern's doubled to right center scored Leise, who was running on the
pitch.
"We had some timely
hits late, and it was a lot closer than 7-1," Van Horn said.
Komine had retired 21 of
23 batters until Elliot Joyner's pinch-hit single to right in the
eighth ran into a jam in the eighth, walking Matt Fisher to put runners
on first and second with one out. Komine then struck out Jerome Godsey
and Jason Bartlett to end the inning and OU's final threat of the
evening.
In the ninth, NU tacked
on three more runs on RBI singles from Dan Johnson and Jed Morris
and a double by Josh Hesse.
The Huskers continue the
series Saturday afternoon at 2 p.m.
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