Neliraskan P«fe
Wednesday, May 2,1990
Team’s speed makes practice challenging for Cook
By Oarran Fowler
Staff Reporter
From an infielder’s perspective,
Nebraska third baseman Lori Cook,
says playing against this year’s Com
husker softball
team’s offense
would not be a
pleasant task.
Cook said she
sees the Huskcrs’
speed game, which
has produced 123
stolen bases, • Cook
enough during practice.
At practice, in a drill call.cd the
bunting game, the infield challenges
the slap hitting, bunting and base
stealing that is a large part of the
Husker offense.
Cook said she and shortstop Shae
Sloan have a hard time throwing out
the burners and slappers at first base.
When they don’t, the challenge be
comes greater.
Catcher Kris Vucurcvic tries her
!
luck at preventing steals during the
Husker practice. If she fails, the in
field futilely tries to get the lead run
ner at second base off the subsequent
bunt or slap hit. But, in that scenario,
the percentages lie in getting the runner
at first.
“We practice against the fastest
team in the nation,” said Cook, a
senior from Napa, Calif. ‘‘Few teams
run like that. Arizona and Fresno State
have a little speed, but nothing with
the speed we can put in with our four
pinch runners. We’re one right after
the other. That’s nothing I’ve seen on
another team.”
In other words, she’s glad she’s an
ally, not the opposition.
“I would hate to play a team like
that,” she said. ‘‘It just gives you
more to think about.”
Not thatCook, a former left fielder
who never played third until her sec
ond season at Napa Valley College,
doesn’t enjoy the added work and
pressure that goes with playing the
position.
4 4 It keeps you in the game through
out the whole game,” she said. “That’s
one thing I need as a player, is to be
into it the whole time.”
On offense, Cook is hitting .302
from the Huskers’ clean-up position.
The Huskcr co-captain’sninedoubles
lead the team, and she is second in
runs batted in with 20.
Since being humbled at Creighton
two weeks ago, when the Huskers
were swept 7-0 and 1 -0, Nebraska has
surged, winning 10 of its last 11 games,
including nine straight.
“After Creighton there were a lot
of doubts in our minds of what our
ability was,” Cook said. “We talked
about it a lot together and from there
we.tumed it around.”
One reason for the renewed confi
dence was Coach Ron Wolforth’s
support of the team at a time when the
players’ attitudes were pessimistic,
she said.
“Coach said he was not giving up
on us, and we just pulled through,”
she said.
With a 31-17 record, Nebraska
could be looking at an at-large bid
into NCAA postseason play if it fails
to win the Big Eight tournament.
Thursday, Nebraska rides its speak
into the four-day conference tourna
ment in Oklahoma City with the
champion automatically qualifying for
the NCAAs.
Cook said she doesn ’ t want to mess
around with any at-large bid. Win
ning the Big Eight makes getting into
the NCAAs a more deserving an honor,
she said.
“I’d feel more comfortable win
ning the Big Eight title,” she said. “It
just wouldn’t feel the same as getting
an at-large bid.”
If the Huskers make the NCAAs,
Nebraska, unbeaten in nine home
games this year, would be one of
many teams within the region bid
ding to play first-round home games.
Cook, who along with right fielder
I
Jill Rishcl is one of two Huskcr sen
iors, said she welcomes any opportu
nity to play in front of a home crowd
again.
“Playing here would give us a lot
confidence,” she said. “Not having
lost any home games yet, we would
feel pretty good coming back to play
here.”
Notes:
• Nebraska swept this week’s Big
Eight honors with freshman Sloan
named player-of-the-week alter going
7 for 17 (.412), including two doubles,
a home run, six RBI and four walks.
Nebraska junior Stephanie Skegas was
named pitchcr-of-week after earning
five wins to up her record to 21 -6 this
year.
• Nebraska failed to have anyone
named first-team All-Big Eight this
season. Selected honorable mention
were: Deanna Mays, first base; Jill
Rishcl, outfield; Vucurevic, catcher;
Khara Trcnka, utility player; and Misti
Guenther, designated player.
Baseball team
plays catch-up,
falls shy of win
By Paul Domeier
Senior Reporter
The Nebraska baseball team
made a simple blowout a brawl
ing comeback against Creighton
on Tuesday night before losing,
16-12.
Most of the spectators left Buck
Bcltzer Field after the fifth in
ning, when Creighton led, 12-2.
The Blucjays scored three runs in
each of the first three innings,
chasing Comhusker pitchers Aaron
Bilycu, who saw his record drop
to 2-1, and Armando Garza.
Nebraska’s offense came with
a walk to Bobby Benjamin and
Shawn Buchanan’s two-run home
run. Creighton added three insur
ance runs in the top of the sixth off
Charlie Colon.
Then things got interesting.
In the bottom of the sixth,
Benjamin crushed a high, two
run home run off Creighton’s Darin
Harris, 4-4, to make the score 15
4, and the Husker career home
run leader took his time getting
around the bases.
Nebraska had scored three more
runs in the seventh by the time
Benjamin came to the plate. Har
ris’ first pitch sailed behind Ben
jamin’s back, and the Nebraska
first baseman stalked to the mound.
Both benches cleared, Benjamin
and Nebraska assistant coach Steve
Gillispie were ejected, and Harris
left the game.
“The pilch to Benjamin was
very suspicious,” Nebraska coach
John Sanders said. “You make
your determination from there.”
Creighton coach Jim Hendry
said his pitchers weren’t inten
tionally throwing at the Huskcrs.
“II anything, the way it all
happened, it gave them a life,’ ’ he
said.
The Huskers scored two more
runs in the inning and Creighton
added one in the top of the eighth,
making the score 16-9. Bullpen
ace Dave Matranga came in to
pitch for Nebraska.
Bluejay reliever Brennan Maley
hit Husker pinch-hitter Shaun
McGinn with a pitch in the eighth,
but McGinn took his base without
incident.
Nebraska scored three more
times to get within four runs and
had two runners on with none out
The Huskers, though, went down
on a strikeout and two fly balls.
In the ninth, Creighton got two
runners on with one out. But Dax
Jones flew out to right, and Husker
shortstop McGinn tagged out Stew
Hinton at second on the hidden
ball trick.
Kevin French popped out to
start the bottom of the ninth. Scan
McKenna came up next, and Eric
Kennedy’s first pitch struck the
Husker in the ribs. McKenna
charged the mound, commencing
the battle royal. After the bodies
were sorted out, McKenna and
Kennedy were ejected. A walk
and two ground balls later,
Creighton had salvaged the vic
tory.
“It wasn’t very fun after the
first four or five innings,’’ Hen
dry said. “I hate to sec it get to
that.’’
And Nebraska scored 10 of the
last 11 runs, leaving no doubt who
lias the momentum entering to
night’s rematch, which will sum
at 7 p.m. at Buck Bcltzcr and w ill
be televised on Nebraska ETV.
“If anything,’’ Hendry said,
“they turned if into a positive
thing for themselves.’’
William Lauer/Daily Nebraskan
Nebraska shortstop Kevin Jordan attempts to turn a double play against Creighton
University on Tuesday night.
Baseball game attracts athletic celebrities
By Chris Hopfensperger
Staff Reporter _
The stars came out on Monday
night to watch the Comhuskcr
baseball team take on Creighton at
Buck Beltzer Field.
A number of athletic celebri
ties, including Nebraska volley
ball players Val Novak and Linda
Bareness, basketball player Kelly
Lively, and quarterback Mike Grant,
came out to watch the Blucjays
defeat Nebraska, 16-12.
One of the unexpected specta
tors, former Comhusker lootbaH
standout Dave Rimington, said he
was lucky enough to stumble on to
the game while visiting friends in
Lincoln.
“I just got back in town tonight,
so I thought I’d come out,” Rim
ington said. ‘‘I saw the lights so I
figured I would come down and
check it out.
“I sort of fell into this.”
Rimington, a 1983 first-iound
draft pick of the National Football
League’s Cincinnati Bengals, had
been in Philadelphia, signing a new
two-year contract with the Eagles
on Monday. The two-time All
American at center said he is opti
mistic about his contract and the
Eagles’ chances next season.
‘ ‘This is my eighth year coming
up, and I never thought I would last
this long, but we’te a real good
football team. Last year we were
11-5, a playoff team,” Rimington
said, ‘‘we've just got to get in the
big game.
Also at the game was Creighton
basketball coach Tony Barone, a
baseball fan in his own right.
“I get to all the games I can,”
Barone said. ”1 love baseball, and
I think Jim Henry has put together
one of the finest programs in the
country here at Creighton.
“College baseball is getting to
be as good as the minor leagues
with the number of players staying
through their junior year.”
Baron^ said he especially en
joys the Creighton-Nebraska rivalry,
although he doesn’t see it as any
thing more than any oihei rivalry.
“It’s just the state school play
ing another in-state school, it’s a
normal rivalry,” Barone said.
“Every game is a battle.”
KC Royals sacrifice
fun and patriotism
to capitalism, losses
In Kansas City, baseball no longer
is America’s game - because of that
pervading sense of patriotism associ
ated with hot dogs and apple pie. In
Kansas City, America’s game is based
on that jewel of the Western world -
capitalism.
What once was a sport tarnished
only by the spilball, pine tar and the
occasional hard-core gambler, now
has been polluted with money; so
much, in fact, that it has begun to rum
the game for the fans. In order to pay
the ridiculously high players’ sala
ries, the oncc-enjoyablc afternoon at
the park with a hot dog and a coke
now is a major investment.
No team is more guilty of this than
the Kansas City Royals, who in an
effort to challenge their division ri
val, the world champion Oakland
Athletics, bought up every good player
tk.-ktf I I fin/I t U aa
and in Haled the salaries of everyone
else - hoping to purchase a shot at ihc
World Scries.
So far, their penthouse prices have
bought only them a scat in the cellar.
In fact, the the only team worse
than the 6-12 Royals are the perennial
losers from Atlanta; the Braves’ aver
age salary is only $435,787 — a mere
pittance compared to the $821,435
that Kansas City shells out.
Granted, it still is early in the sea
son, hut the future isn’t exactly bright
on the horizon for the Royals, with
injuries to Danny Tarlahull, shortstop
Kurt Stillwell, and Cy Young winner
Bret Saberhagen.
Saberhagen, whose status still is in
question, could be the last nail in the
coffin on the way to an early grave for
the Royals.
With Kurt Stillwell, Willie Wilson
and Bo Jackson, offense is not the
problem. It’s the pitching.
Mark and Storm Davis have not
lived up to their S19 million price Lag
and Mark Gubicza, who still is recov
ering from his shoulder injury last
fall, has an ERA of 8.71, not exactly
promising for the future.
But now all the Royals can do is
wait, pay those outrageous salaries,
and hope that they start crawling out
of the grave they have been digging
all season.
Hopfensperger is a freshman news-editorial
m^jor and a Daily Nebraskan sports writer
and columnist.