Page ^nnftc Nebraskan
16 W__ Monday, May 2,1988
Nebraska’s Mate Borgogno throws to first after forcing Oklahoma State’s Manny Cervantes out at second during a double header Sunday.
OSU uses lone ball to take 3 from Huskers
By Steve Sipple
Senior Reporter
Oklahoma State relief pitcher
Bryan Gore was the variable Sunday
in a doubleheader where multiple
runs were the constant.
Gore, a junior left-hander, entered
the the first game against Nebraska
with one out In the fourth inning and
the Huskers leading 6-5. But Gore
allowed only four runs and three hits
the rest of the way, two after the game
was already settled, and Oklahoma
State came back to beat Nebraska 14
10before2,851 atBuckBeltzer Field.
Sunday’s attendance, along with
the 2,757 at Saturday’sdoubleheader,
established a record for a two-day
series at Buck Beltzer Field. The old
record was set against Oklahoma in
1983.
The record crowds also watched
Oklahoma State pound six home runs
in the second game in its 17-5 rout.
The Cowboys’ sweep, combined with
a split with the Huskers Saturday,
raised their record to 48-3 overall and
15-1 in the Big Eight. Nebraska fell to
41-16 and 8-8.
In the first game, Nebraska came
back from 1 -0,3-1 and 5-3 deficits to
take an 8 5 lead with a five-run fourth.
After Vinny Limon’s run-scoring
double gave the Huskers a 6-5 lead,
Gore replaced starting pitcher Tom
Kcffury.
Nebraska scored another run on
Gore’s wild pitch and one more on
shortstop Monty Fariss’ error, but
Gore retired 15 of the next 16 Huskcr
batters before he hit Shawn Buchanan
with a pitch with two out in the ninth.
Tim Petlengili followed with a two
run home run, his fourth of the year, to
complete the scoring.
Gore struck out Marcell Johnson to
end the game and raise his record to 7
0. He struck out nine and walked only
two.
Gore’s ability to stop Nebraska
from keeping pace with theCowboys’
explosive offense was the key to the
game, Nebraska coach John Sanders
said.
“We knew the game was going to
go back and forth,” he said. “When we
got up 8-5, it’s a situation where we’re
a gapper or a hit away from giving
ourselves a chance to put them in a
worse situation. So that was the key to
the game. That was the tale of the
tape.”
While Gore was stifling the Husk
ers, Oklahoma State’s offense contin
ued to roll. The Cowboys, ranked No.
1 in the Collegiate Baseball/ESPN
national Top 30, responded to
Nebraska’s fourth-inning burst with a
four-run fifth to take a 9-8 lead that
they would never relinquish.
Huskcr starter John Lepley, a sen
ior left-hander, began the fifth by
issuing walks to outfielder Brad
Beanblossom and All-America third
baseman Robin Ventura. John Kohli
relieved Lepley and his wild pitch
moved the runners to second and
third.
Fariss’ sacrifice fly scored one run,
and one out later, second baseman
Mitch Simon lined an RBI single.
Designated hitter Adam Smith then
smacked a two-run home run, an
opposite field blast over the left-field
fence, to give the Cowboys a 9-8 lead.
Smith’s homer was his 12th of the
season.
The Cowboys struck for two more
runs in the seventh before putting
Nebraska away with a three-run
ninth. Tony Kounas led off the final
inning with a 410-foot home run over
the centerfield fence. The blast was
his seventh.
‘Wo go out and try
to win each gamo
wo play. Wo think
wo’to bolter than
each team wo
play. Wo don't
think wo should
lose at all.’
—Gore
Meanwhile, Gore was holding
Nebraska to one hit — Ken Ramos’
sixth-inning single — before
Pettengill’s home run.
Sanders said Gore kept the Husk
ers off-balance with a mixture of
curvcballs and faslballs.
“He’s a curve ball-type guy with
good in-out fastball location,” Sand
ers said. “He did exactly that.”
Gore said the Cowboys were moti
vated by Nebraska’s 7-6 win in
Saturday’s first game.
“Yeah, that’s kind of a touchy
subject,” Gore said. “We go out and
try to win each game we play. We
think we’re better than each team we
play. We don ’ t think we should lose at
all.”
But the Cowboys did lose Satur
day, thanks largely to Husker Pat
Leinen’s complete-game seven-hit
ter. Oklahoma State coach Gary
Ward singled out Gore and Leinen for
their performances. The two left
handers. he said, were effective while
most pitchers struggled in the high
scoring series.
“I think the people that step in and
stop that (the scoring) are the people
you recognize first,” Ward said.
“Every inning was an adventure in
this series. In their cases, it was hard
to get anything against either of
them.”
In Sunday’s second game, Okla
homa State ended any Husker hopes
of gaining a split by jumping to lz-3
lead after the second inning.
Ventura began the onslaught with
the first of his two home runs in the
game. It came off Nebraska starter
Phil Goguen after Beanblossom’s
leadoff single. Fariss followed with
his 23rd homer before Smith’s 400
foot shot gave the Cowboys a 4-0
lead.
Goguen left in the second after
Jeromy Burritz’ two-run, bases
loaded double made it 6-0. Kohli
came in and walked Bcanblossom
before Ventura launched a three-run
home run over the centerfield fence.
The homer was his 21st of the year
and fourth of the scries. Manny Cer
vantes capped the eight-run uprising
with his fifth homer.
The Cowboys scored two runs in
the fourth and three runs in the fifth to
put Nebraska away. Ray Ortiz hit his
second home run in the fifth.
Ventura, who hit in a collegiate
record 59-straight games last year,
finished the game with two hits in four
at bats, while driving in five runs and
scoring two others.
Nebraska’s Bruce Wobken, who
entered Sunday’s doubleheader with
a .209 batting average and two career
home runs, pounded a two-out, three
run shot over the left-field fence in the
second inning. Wobken also hit a solo
homer in the first game.
Joe Federico his 12th homer of the
season in the fourth.
Federico and Wobken also hom
ered in the first game, along with
Bobby Benjamin. Benjamin’s shot
was his 15th.
A 25 mph wind blowing out of the
ballpark was part of the reason for the
Cowboys’ home run barrage, but not
the sole reason, Sanders said.
“You know as well as I do they had
some legitimate bombs that would be
out on any day,” he said.
Pat Hope, 6-0, got the win for the
Cowboys. Goguen, 2-1, picked up the
loss.
Sanders said losing three of four to
the defending Big Eight champions
was frustrating, especially at home.
The Huskcrs had entered the series
with a 23-game home win streak.
“It’s not exactly what we like todo,
expect to do or want to do, that’s for
sure,” he said. “If your asking me if
I’m happy, I’d say no, wcrre not
happy with going 1-3 at home.”