Mar. 22, 2011
 
Huskers have a come from behind rally to win 5-4.
 
Lincoln, Neb. — Josh Scheffert's two-out infield single in the bottom of the ninth inning scored Kash Kalkowski from third to complete Nebraska's (15-7) third straight come-from-behind win as the Huskers took a 5-4 victory over Northern Colorado (1-12) on Tuesday night at Hawks Field.

Nebraska trailed 3-1 heading into the eighth inning when it tied the game on a 2-RBI single from Cory Burleson and an RBI bunt single by Michael Pritchard. After NU reliever Casey Hauptman gave up only his third earned run of the season in the ninth, NU answered again to produce its third walk-off win of the season and sixth comeback victory of 2011.

"It's the finish we wanted," head coach Mike Anderson said. "This team has a very strong characteristic of not giving up. As a coach, I'd like to have nine solid innings, but if they're going to give me innings like that at the end of the game, I'm going to take it. They're doing a very good job. They are very determined at the end of games and I like seeing that."

Scheffert, a sophomore from Lincoln, Neb., had struck out in the fourth inning with runners on second and third as NU was attempting to overcome an early 3-0 deficit. He made the most of his opportunity in the ninth by sending a 1-0 pitch up the middle for the first walk-off hit of his collegiate career. Northern Colorado shortstop Adam Hilker made a nice diving stop to his left to field the hard-hit grounder, but Scheffert hustled down the line and dove head first into the bag, while Hilker's throw skipped past UNC first baseman Casey Coy as Kalkowski crossed home plate for the winning run.

"Honestly, I was just happy for the opportunity to come up," Scheffert said. "I kind of felt like I had a little bit of responsibility. I just wanted to do my best, put a good swing on the ball and hopefully let good things happen. Luckily this time they did."

Scheffert finished the game 2-for-5 as he also tripled in the second inning for the second straight game. He was one of three Huskers to extend their hit streaks to eight games, joining Chad Christensen (2-for-4) and Cody Asche (2-for-4). Christensen drove in Asche with an RBI single in the sixth to trim into UNC's lead, 3-1, after Asche led off the inning with a double down the right field line, his 14th of the season that ranks him second in the nation.

The sixth inning run was all NU could produce in its first seven at-bats as it tallied five hits but left seven runners on base during that time. The Bears struck quickly on NU starter Tyler Niederklein by scoring three runs on three hits in the top of the first inning to take a 3-0 lead. Niederklein settled in after the first and went on to total a career-high 10 strikeouts in his seven-inning outing. Following the first, he allowed only two hits the rest of the game and also recorded four 1-2-3 innings.

Trailing 3-1, Niederklein was relieved by Hauptman in the eighth, who gave up a pair of singles but kept UNC scoreless. In the bottom half of the inning, Nebraska loaded the bases with one out when Burleson was brought in to pinch hit for Patric Tolentino. The catcher ripped the first pitch he saw through the right side of the UNC defense to score Scheffert and Christensen. With the game tied 3-3, Pritchard, a freshman who was starting his fourth game, laid down a bunt single to score Khiry Cooper from third and give NU a 4-3 lead.

The Bears would not go away easily, however, as singles from Tony Crudo and Harrison Lambert tied the game at 4-4 in the top of the ninth before the Huskers came away with their third walk-off win of the season.

Nebraska's offense pounded out 10 hits, marking the 13th game this season the Huskers have totaled double-digit hits.

Nebraska and Northern Colorado will conclude the two-game series Wednesday afternoon at Hawks Field at 1:35 p.m. Tickets can be purchased on Huskers.com and or on game day at the Hawks Field box office.

Source: University of Nebraska Athletic Dept.