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April 28, 2012
 
Kiser delivers walk-off single in 11th
 
mug
Kiser
 
Lincoln — Senior Kale Kiser came through with his second walk-off hit of the season in the bottom of the 11th inning to propel Nebraska to a 3-2 win over Cal State Bakersfield in the first game of a doubleheader Saturday afternoon. After Austin Darby led off the inning with a walk and Chad Christensen moved him to third with a single, Kiser blasted a deep fly ball into the right-center-field gap that allowed Darby to coast home for the winning run.

The Husker are now 1-1 in extra-inning games this season after falling in 11 innings to then-No. 21 Cal earlier this season at Hawks Field, 11-8.

Michael Pritchard extended his hitting streak to 20 games with a two-out single in the bottom of the ninth. Pritchard is now tied with Jeff Hedman (1998) and John Cole (2001) for the fifth-longest hitting streak in school history since 1958.

NU took a 2-0 lead in the second inning on four hits, including a leadoff double by Richard Stock. The Husker bats then fell silent and managed just four hits over the next eight innings, before coming up with back-to-back singles in the 11th.

CSU Bakersfield got on the board in the top of the third, as Kevin Younger scored after starting the inning with a single. The Roadrunners tied the game in the bottom of the sixth when Frank Martinez scored on a two-out single by Younger.

The teams both went scoreless over the next three innings, forcing extras. CSU Bakersfield went down in order in the 10th, while the Huskers were able to work a two-out walk but nothing else. Luke Bublitz hit the first batter he faced in the top of the 11th, but then retired the next three Roadrunners he faced to set the stage for the Husker offense in the bottom of the frame.

                                                       R  H E
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CSU Bakersfield.......... 0 0 1  0 0 1  0 0 0  0 0  -  2  8 1
Nebraska................. 0 2 0  0 0 0  0 0 0  0 1  -  3 10 0
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NU drops nightcap to Roadrunners
 
mug
Pritchard
 
Lincoln — Michael Pritchard extended his hitting streak to 21 games, but the rest of the night belonged to Cal State Bakersfield, as the Roadrunners salvaged a doubleheader split with a 10-2 win in Saturday's second game in front of 5,111 fans at Hawks Field.

A sophomore from Omaha, Pritchard finished 1-for-3 to extend his career-long hitting streak to 21 games. Pritchard's hitting streak is the fifth-longest in Husker history. Senior Kale Kiser, who produced the game-winning single in the 11th inning of Nebraska's game-one victory, added two hits of his own as part of a 3-for-3 effort that included an RBI. The Huskers were out-hit by only 10-8 in the loss but stranded eight runners.

Junior right-hander Brandon Pierce (5-2) took the loss, suffering his first defeat since Feb. 9. Pierce's personal five-game winning streak was snapped, as he allowed eight runs (seven earned) on eight hits over 5.2 innings. Sophomore Jon Keller pitched the final 3.1 innings, allowing two runs on two hits. With the loss, Nebraska fell to 28-16.

SUNDAY'S GAME
Nebraska and CSU Bakersfield wrap up their three-game series Sunday at 12:05 p.m. Sophomore left-hander Zach Hirsch will get the start on the mound for the Huskers, while the Roadrunners' starter is to be determined.

Left-hander Jeff McKenzie (4-4) earned the win for CSU Bakersfield, which improved to 19-20. McKenzie fell just short of a complete-game effort, throwing 140 pitches while scattering eight hits and surrendering two runs in 8.1 innings.

CSU Bakersfield jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the top of the second inning. A leadoff walk and an infield single put Roadrunners on first and second with no outs, before Tyler Shyrock belted a three-run homer down the right-field line.

Nebraska got a run back in the bottom of the frame. Richard Stock began the inning with a single, and Chad Christensen moved him to second with a sacrifice bunt and wound up safe at first as the ball came out of the first baseman's glove on the tag attempt. Kiser then advanced both runners into scoring position with a sacrifice bunt before Cory Burleson scored Stock with an RBI ground out that cut the lead to 3-1.

The Roadrunners immediately answered back in the top of the third, as a leadoff walk and an error cost the Huskers a run on a one-out, RBI ground out.

CSU Bakersfield added four runs with two outs in the sixth inning to stretch the lead to 8-1. The inning began with an infield single before the next two hitters were quickly retired. Back-to-back two-out walks loaded the bases before Jordie Hein produced a two-run double and Kevin Younger followed with a two-run triple.

In the bottom of the sixth, Stock reached on a four-pitch one-out walk before Blake Headley followed with a single to right. Kiser then drove in Stock with an RBI single to left to cut the lead to 8-2.

Another RBI triple pushed the lead back to seven two batters into the top of the seventh before a sacrifice fly gave the Roadrunners a 10-2 lead.

Nebraska spoiled McKenzie's bid for a complete game when Kiser led off the bottom of the ninth with his third hit of the game, before senior Bryan Peters followed with a one-out single to put runners at first and third. Reliever Jordan Camacho entered the game and coaxed a game-ending double play.

                                                  R  H E
--------------------------------------------------------
CSU Bakersfield.......... 0 3 1  0 0 4  2 0 0  - 10 10 1
Nebraska................. 0 2 0  0 0 0  0 0 0  -  3 10 0
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Source: University of Nebraska Athletic Dept.