Baseball 2001
Huskers Explode
for 32 Runs in Sweep of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
March 28
Lincoln -- After
scoring four runs in its previous two games, Nebraska erupted for
32 runs and 30 hits in a doubleheader sweep of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
at Buck Beltzer Stadium Wednesday, winning the opener 16-2 in seven
innings before taking a 16-10 decision in the nightcap.
With the wins, the Huskers, ranked eighth by Baseball America and
15th by Collegiate Baseball and Baseball Weekly/ESPN, improve to 19-7
on the season and end the Panthers' nine-game winning streak. UWM
falls to 9-7 on the season.
In the opener, the Huskers
provided starter R.D. Spiehs with more than enough support, scoring
11 runs in the first two innings, including a season-high seven in
the second frame, as the junior from Grand Island, Neb., went five
innings to pick up the win to move into 10th on NU's career victory
charts with his 17th win. Spiehs allowed two runs, a two-run homer
to John VandenBerg in the second, and scattered four hits while tying
a career high with eight strikeouts in improving to 4-1 on the season.
Offensively, five Huskers
had two hits apiece while first baseman Dan Johnson and outfielder
Justin Seely, each drove in three runs in the victory.
In the first, the Huskers
jumped out to a 4-0 lead, scoring all four runs with two outs. Jeff
Leise led off the inning with a single, moved to second on a sacrifice
and stole third before scoring on a balk on UWM starter Mike Oiler.
The Huskers increased the lead to 2-0 on an RBI single by Seely before
shortstop Brandon Eymann's two-run single gave the Huskers a four-run
advantage.
Nebraska pushed the lead
to 11-0, knocking Oiler, who fell to 2-3 on the season, out of the
game in the second. After NU loaded the bases with one out, Johnson,
who went 1-for-3 with a pair of walks, was beaned with the bases loaded
for NU's fifth run. Seely, who went 2-for-4 then chased Oiler with
a two-run double, as the Panther starter allowed nine runs on six
hits in 1.1 innings of work. The Huskers continued the assault off
UWM reliever Tim Meinecke, as Josh Hesse drove in a pair of runs with
a triple before Tito Rivera's RBI single gave NU an insurmountable
11-2 advantage.
The Huskers plated five
more runs - all with two outs in the fourth inning, with John Cole's
two-run double and Johnson's two-run homer, his ninth of the season.
In the nightcap, the Huskers
jumped to a 12-2 lead after five innings only to see the Panthers
claw back. UWM scored eight runs in the final four innings to nearly
push the Huskers to the limit before sophomore center fielder Jeff
Leise, who went 4-for-5 with four RBI, added an eighth-inning two-run
homer, his fifth of the year, gave the Huskers breathing room.
NU jumped out to a 4-0
lead in the contest, scoring three in the second, on a two-run double
by Eymann and an RBI single by Leise, and adding another run in the
third on Jed Morris' RBI single off UWM starter and loser Quintin
Oldenberg.
The Huskers used another
two-out rally, scoring six runs in the fourth to seemingly put the
game out of reach. After a pair of walks, Matt Hopper's RBI single
gave NU a 5-0 lead before Seely's second hit of the day, a two-run
single, extended the margin to 7-0. Jed Morris, who went 3-for-4 with
four RBI, then sent a Rob Erickson offering over the fence in right
for a three-run homer, his fourth of the year, to give NU a 10-0 lead.
Nebraska starter Jason
Burch was cruising along through the first four innings before the
Panthers finally scored a pair of runs in the fifth on a two-run single
by Scott Gillitzer. Burch, who went the first 5.2 innings to pick
up his first collegiate victory struck out six, but ran into trouble
in the sixth, as UWM closed to within four runs. With two outs, two-run
hits by Matt Houk and Darin Haugam cut the NU lead to 12-6 before
Gillitizer, who went 3-for-4 in game two, took NU reliever Brandon
Penas' first pitch over the fence in left to cut the Husker lead to
12-8.
After UWM closed to within
12-9, NU scored a pair of runs in the bottom of the seventh and eighth
to regain a comfortable margin. In the seventh, Leise led off with
a single and move to second on Adam Stern's fielder's choice, which
he beat out, putting runners on first and second. With one out, Johnson
was intentionally walked to load the bases. Cole plated the first
run of the inning on a fielder's choice, scoring Leise, before Stern
came home on a wild pitch.
Nebraska returns to action
this Friday, March 30, as the Huskers will begin a three-game conference
series at Oklahoma (10-19, 5-7 Big 12). First pitch for Friday's contest
is at 7 p.m. at L. Dale Mitchell Park.
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