Sports
Softball team goes 4-7 during road trip
By Darran Fowler
Staff Reporter
The Nebraska softball team’s annual
Spring Break trip to California had
results similar to last year’s.
Nebraska went 4-7 over break,
putting the Comhuskers’ record at
13-11 this season. Last year, the
Huskers lost six straight games dur
ing break, finishing 3-6 and returned
home 13-17 overall.
“We’re in better shape than the
team last year at the start of the season
but that’s hedging the question, be
cause we expected to be better,”
Nebraska coach Ron Wolforth said.
‘‘It was a very disappointing trip.”
In pool play of the Pony Invita
tional at Fullerton, Calif., Nebraska
started with a 4-2 defeat of Rutgers
and then lost to Fullerton 3-1 and Big
Eight rival Oklahoma State 6-2.
In bracket play, the Huskers edged
Minnesota 1-0, before being elimi
nated by Fresno State 9-3.
Nebraska spent the remainder of
the week playing doubleheader games
against Toledo in Fullerton, and then
traveled to San Diego to play U.S.
International and San Diego State.
Nebraska was swept by Toledo 5
3, 5-1 and split with U.S. Interna
tional, 3-2, 2-0 and San Diego State
3-0,2-0.
The major disappointment struck
when the Huskers played Toledo.
Wolforth said.
“That was whbn we hit bottom,”
he said. ‘ ‘That was the worst game we
played all year.”
He said Nebraska lacked the inten
sity needed to be competitive in a
tournament that featured five of the
seven top teams in the country and
then play three doubleheaders after
wards.
“Our youth definitely showed,”
he said. “We played a couple of games
well in the Pony, but we just couldn’t
put it all together.
“Ten games in 10 days, that’s
pretty stressful. That takes a lot of
mental toughness and we have not
been able to have that.”
However, Wolforth said he has not
given up.
If Nebraska develops a tougher
mental attitude over the course of the
season it can win the Big Eight tour
nament and receive a subsequent
NCAA automatic bid, he said.
“This doesn’t discourage me in
the Big Eight, but it docs make me a
little leery,” he said. “We just have
to learn to maintain our mental tough
ness in tournaments like this and like
the Big Eight.”
Against conference favorite Okla
homa State earlier this season, Ne
braska stole a 1-0 victory over the
Cowboys.
“We still match up with Okla
homa State very, very well,” Wolforth
said. “We have a very good chance to
win the Big Eight.”
Fourth inning grand slam
boosts Nebraska over KU
By John Adkisson
Staff Reporter
The Nebraska baseball team got a
power boost this weekend from a most
unexpected source.
Eddie Anderson, a 5’9" center
fielder and the Huskcrs’ leadoff hit
ter, hit a grand slam homer on Sunday
to lift the Comhuskers to a 6-2 victory
and a doubleheader sweep of Kansas.
Nebraska won the nightcap 9-0.
The two victories Sunday gave
Nebraska a split of the four-game
series with the Jayhawks. Kansas beat
Nebraska 4-3 and 3-1 Saturday.
Anderson, who is a switch-hitter,
hit the homer in the fourth inning with
Nebraska trailing 2-1. The shot was
Anderson’s first ever batting left
handed.
“I was just thinking about getting
a sacrifice fly,” Anderson said. “I
didn T expect it to go out. ’ ’
Nebraska head coach John Sand
ers said Anderson’s slam came at a
critical point in the game.
“That homer really helped us. He
just tomahawked the pitch and rode it
out of here,” Sanders said.
The grand slam was Anderson’s
second home run of the season. His
first came in another big game, Ne
braska’s win over then top-ranked
Wichita Slate.
Anderson, who had only four RBls
coming into the series with Kansas,
picked up five over the weekend. But
Anderson said his main concern is
just getting on base.
“When I’m up at the plate, I look
for any way I can to get on. That’s
where I can be most effective.” he
said.
Anderson leads the team with 24
stolen bases.
In the second game, Nebraska got
a strong pitching performance from
John Ofstun and cruised to the vic
tory.
“It’s always tough to shut a team
out at the college level,” Sanders
said. “John pitched an excellent game
for us.”
Anderson said he knew the Husk
ers would rebound from Saturday’s
losses and play well Sunday.
“I feel that our team is very strong
mentally. I knew we couid bounce
back today,” he said.
Nebraska, 20-10 on the season,
will host Northern Iowa and travel to
See NU on 8
- usvkj
NU designated hitter Joe Shapley tripped, fell to the turf and crawled safely to firstbase on a
KU error Sunday afternoon at Buck Beltzer Field. NU won the double header 6-2, 9-0.
_ _ -a -•
Duke's strategy won t work against Rebels
Larry Johnson vs. Christian La
cuner? Johnson, no problem. Ander
son Hunt vs. Phil Henderson? Hunt
by a hair. Stacey Augmon vs. Robert
Brickey? Augmon, hands down.
UNLV would crush Duke 9-0 or 8
1 if the two teams’ regulars played a
' Domeier
series of one-on-one games instead of
the NCAA tournament final, which
will be staged tonight at 8:14 p.m.
Runnin’ Rebels’ Johnson, Hunt and
Augmon are part of the best collec
tion of great talent in college basket
ball, while Blue Devils’ Laeitncr,
Henderson and Brickey are part of the
best collection of mediocre talent in
college basketball.
That talent advantage doesn’t
guarantee a victory for the Rebs and
Coach Jerry Tarkanian, but it has
made the NCAA championship
UNLV’s to win or lose.
UNLV became the consensus pre
season No. 1 when Johnson, the 1989
junior college player-of-the-year,
committed to the already stacked Rebs.
David Butler and Moses Scurry
couldn’t play during the first semes
ter because of academic problems,
but since the two post players re
turned, UNLV has been awesome.
All live starters are great scorers
and great defenders. The bench has
three or four good role players. Tar
kanian lives basketball and is one ol
the best coaches in the country.
Offensively, defensively and stra
tegically the Rebels are loaded.
Duke is different. This is the third
straight trip to the Final Four for the
Devils, and Coach Mike Krzyzewski
should promise never to return until
he recruits more NBA-caliber talent.
Duke doesn’t have one great pro
prospect, and at least four future first
round selections (Georgia Tech’s
Dennis Scott, Kenny Anderson and
Brian Oliver and Arkansas’ Todd Day)
were eliminated Saturday.
Krzyzewski’s squad is solid, though.
The Devils may not have any super
stars, but they also don’t have any
holes.
A team like Duke should win two
or three tournament games, then lose.
But Duke is the type of team that
could win the NCAAs if all the best
teams (Missouri, Oklahoma, Syracuse,
Michigan State) collapse. Guess what?
UNLV is the only great team left
As for style of play, the final
matchup is great for basketball pur
ists who had to watch the up-tempo
onslaught of the tournament’s first 60
games.
The Rebels and Devils eliminated
the last two freak teams, teams that
get by without the traditional two
guard, two forward, true center scheme.
Georgia Tech and Arkansas were
M&M teams — solid on the outside,
melting on the inside. Loyola Mary
mount, Georgetown and Texas were
three teams that had some large weak
ness, and all have lost
Both finalists have traditional
lineups, both play great man-to-man
defense, both can score numerous ways
with numerous players, and both are
well-coached. UNLV is better in each
category, though.
Duke has used its versatility to get
this far, working inside against vul
nerable teams like Arkansas and
Connecticut, but that strategy won’t
work against UNLv. 1 ne Keoeis must
collapse for Duke to take its first title.
Augmon and Hunt will indicate
the outcome. Augmon played the best
half of his life to shut down Scott in
the last half of the semifinal, but he
can’t afford a letdown tonight, offen
sively or defensively. Augmon is prone
to disappearing when the team doing
well.
And Hunt, who has had two-straight
great games, must remember he is not
Scott. His shot selection at the end of
the semifinal was crazy. If he comes
out firing from anywhere, and miss
ing, the entire UNLV offense could
break down.
UNLV vs. Duke? Should be UNLV,
but you never know.
Domeicr is a junior news-editorial major
and a Daily Nebraskan senior sports re
porter and columnist.
-a
Walton: NU gymnasts edge Minnesota but look sloppy
By Chuck Green
Senior Reporter
Nebraska women’s gymnastics
coach Rick Wallon isn’t one to look
for excuses -- but alter Saturday rught s
meet against Minnesota, he was look
ing for answers.
Nebraska beat the Golden Gophers
190.90-188.15 at the Bob Devaney
Sports Center, but Wallon said that,
at times, the No. 4-ranked Comhuskcrs
looked sloppy.
Lisa McCrady led the Huskers,
winning the all-around competition
with a 38.75 score. She edged out
inesola’s Marie Rocthlisberger by
.05. McCrady won the floor exercise
with a 9.80 and finished third in the
uneven bars and vault.
Nebraska’s Michele Bryant was
third in the all-around competition
with a 38.35.
But, Walton said, the Huskers made
several mistakes throughout the meet
— including three falls on the balance
beam and two more on the uneven
bars.
“I’m not sure what was wrong,’
he said. "Maybe we just weren’t
mentally prepared for them. We made
far too many mistakes for this time of
year.
“It’s hard to come up with reasons
for it, but the bottom line is that it
happened, and it shouldn’t have.’’
Nebraska’s Angie Burdette won
the vault with a score of 9.80, and
Bryant tied McCrady for second in
the competition.
Jane Clemons was third on the
balance beam with a 9.65, and Tami
Bair finished second on the uneven
bars with a 9.70.
Walton said the problems must be
resolved by next weekend, when the
Huskers travel to Salt Lake City for
the NCAA regional competition.
Six of the seven teams that will be
at the regional arc raniccu among uic
nation’s top 12, including top-ranked
Utah. Walton said a key lor Nebraska
is the returning experience from last
year’s NCAA competition.
Seven of the 11 Huskers competed
last season in NCAA competition.
“It’s probably going to be a heck
of a factor for us to have any one of
five girls that can score in the 38.50
range, or belter,’ ’ Walton said. Our
goal is to get all of them to score in
that range for the NCAAs. ”
Most of this week’s practice time
will be devoted to eliminating execu
tion mistakes, rather than physical
COnailioning, naiwn Miu.
“Menially, we’re to the point that
we can’t take anything for granted,”
he said. “Any error, large or small,
can hurt you. We want to remove any
visible signs of error a judge can
see.”
Atanv rate, Walton said, the Husk
ers must perform better next weekend
than they did Saturday night.
“It certainly will be a challenge
with seven of the best teams in the
country,’ ’ he said. “ It will be more of
a challenge if we make the same
kinds of mistakes we made (Saturday
night).”
