April 16, 2011
 
Huskers get opening win in K-State series.
 
Lincoln, Neb — Nebraska took the lead in the third inning and used strong outings from three pitchers to hold K-State to two runs on six hits in a 3-2 win over the Wildcats on Saturday afternoon. The series opening victory came in front of a Hawks Field crowd of 3,750.

Matt Freeman improved to 5-3 by allowing two runs on six hits in 6.0 innings. He was relieved by Dylan Vogt and Casey Hauptman as Nebraska held on to its narrow advantage to go to 18-0 on the season when leading after six innings.

"It was a great ballgame all the way around." head coach Mike Anderson said. "I thought we pitched extremely well. Matt Freeman was outstanding. I thought we played great defense and had the timely hits. We put pressure on. I would have liked to extend it a bit in terms of runs but we had a great performance out of Dylan Vogt and then got to Casey Hauptman."

Leading 3-2 in the seventh with a run across and a runner on second, Freeman exited the game with the lead after going at least six innings for the fifth time in eight starts. Vogt relieved Freeman and after a sacrifice bunt, K-State attempted a squeeze play to score the tying run. Vogt charged Chase Graskewicz' bunt and made a perfect underhand toss to catcher Patric Tolentino to tag out pinch runner Luke White at the plate. Tolentino then alertly threw to first base to retire Graskewicz for an inning ending double play.

That was the last scoring threat K-State put together, as Vogt forced the Wildcats into three groundouts in the eighth before Hauptman was dominant in the ninth with two groundouts and a strikeout on KSU's 3-4-5 hitters. Hauptman picked up his team-leading fifth save of the year, giving NU seven saves in 2011 to match its entire 2010 season total. The efforts of Vogt and Hauptman also marked the 10th time this season that the Husker relievers have not allowed a run.

Offensively, Kurt Farmer went 2-for-4 with an RBI, his 12th multiple hit game of the season. Farmer was the only Husker to tally more than one hit, but Nebraska got a clutch performance from freshman Michael Pritchard, who pinch hit in the fifth inning and drove home Kash Kalkowski with a single up the middle to give NU a 3-1 lead. Pritchard's RBI single came on KSU reliever Evan Marshall's first pitch and ended up resulting in the game-winning run.

Kansas State took a 1-0 lead on a solo homer by Jason King in the first inning. The Huskers responded with single runs in the second and third innings. Farmer led off the second with a single through the left side of the infield and later scored from third on a balk by KSU starter Kyle Hunter. Nebraska used a 2-out rally to score in the third as Kalkowski doubled off the top of the left field wall before Farmer hit an RBI bloop single to left.

The Huskers were plunked by Marshall three times in the eighth inning to load the bases with one out but could not extend the 3-2 lead. Nebraska has now been hit by 68 pitches this season and ranked fourth nationally in that category entering the week.

The Huskers and Wildcats will resume the series Sunday afternoon at 1:05 p.m., before playing the finale on Monday at 1:05 p.m.

Source: University of Nebraska Athletic Dept.