The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current, April 03, 1995, Page 7, Image 7
Sports Huskers beat Mizzou twice over weekend By Jeff Griesch__ Senior Reporter Darin Erstad and Todd Sears combined for 10 hits, nine RBI and six runs scored as the Nebraska baseball team pummeled Missouri 17-2 at Buck Beltzer Stadium Sunday. The Comhuskers won the two of three games against the Tigers this weekend and improved to 16-11 overall and 5-5 in the Big Eight. Nebraska defeated the Ti gers 12-2 Friday night and lost 9-8 in 11 innings Satur day. The Tigers fell to 7-21 overall and 2-8 in the confer ence after Sunday’s loss. Erstad went 6 for 6 with his 1 Oth home run of the sea son, two doubles, five RBI and four runs scored to lead oanaers the Huskers 22-hit attack. Sears was 4 for 5 and hit for the cycle with a single, double, triple and his fifth homer. The freshman first baseman from Ankeny, Iowa, finished the weekend series against the Tigers 8 for 11 with seven RBI. “It was a spectacular performance from both of them,” Nebraska coach John Sanders said. “They are both spectacular players, and they showed what they could do today.” . The Huskers jumped out to a quick lead with four runs in the first inning off Missouri starter Jerry Vansell. Jed Dalton led off with a double and moved to third on Darin Petersen’s bunt single. Erstad drove in Dalton with a sharp single to right field. Erstad was forced out at second on Mel Motley’s pop-up that was dropped by Ti gers’ second baseman Jeff Terrell. I Sears tripled to drive in Petersen and Motley and scored on Alvie Shepherd’s sacrifice fly to give the Huskers a 4-0 lead. That would be all the run support starter Cody Winget would need. Winget, 2-1, allowed just one unearned run while scattering seven hits in seven innings. Winget, Nebraska’s No. 1 starter, was diag nosed with mononucleosis 2 1/2 weeks ago and has not pitched since a 3-2 loss at Oklahoma on March 8. “It was great to have Cody back,” Sanders said. “The strength of our pitching staff is our depth, and getting a good performance from Cody helps.” Although Winget only needed the four first Jeff Hailer/DN Nebraska’s David Gappa slides safely into home past Missouri pitcher Donnie Charles during the bottom of the third against Missouri at Buck Beltzer Field Sunday. inning runs, the Huskers gave him more. Nebraska scored in every inning except the eighth, when the Huskers left the bases loaded. Chris Bauer pitched the eighth inning and gave up a solo homer to Aaron Jaworowski. Shepherd came on to pitch a perfect ninth in ning to close the win. For Shepherd, the ninth inning of Sunday’s win allowed redemption for blowing an 8-2 lead in the ninth of a 9-8 loss'to the Tigers Saturday . Shepherd, Nebraska’s ace reliever and a projected top-10 pick in this summer’s profes sional draft, allowed six runs on four hits in a one-third of an inning. The Huskers lost the game in the 11 th inning, and Sanders said Shepherd was very upset after the game. “He felt so bad after the game that he apolo gized to the ball club,” Sanders said. “Today, getting back in there and ending the game with a strikeout was the best thing that could have happened.” Despite offense’s slow start scoring, Huskers move ball well, coach says By Derek Samson Senior Reporter Scott Frost proved he could pass the ball, Tommie Frazier proved he could run it and the Nebraska of fensive units proved that reaching the end zone in the first scrimmage of spring ball was difficult. Despite many scoring threats inside the 2(>yard line, the Comhusker offense did not score until nearly halfof Saturday’s three hour scrimmage at Memorial Sta dium was over. Coach Tom Osborne said the lack of punch in the red zone was typical of the first spring scrim mage. ' “We don’t have a lot of goal-line offense or defense in,” Osborne said. “You get down near the goal line and you’re a little handicapped in what you have to call or run on defense. I think overall for a first scrimmage it was satisfactory, even though there was some sloppiness.” The majority of any offensive spark came from Frost and Frazier. Frost, a transfer from Stanford who will sit out next fall, led all passers by completing 8 of 11 passes for 127 yards and scoring once on a 5-yard run. Frazier connected on 5 of 8 passes for 69 yards and finished as the third-leading rusher in the scrim Jeff Makovicka 10-yd. run (Brian Morro PAT failed) Scott Frost 5-yd. run (Jesse Kosch PAT good) Joel Makovicka 1-yd. run (no kick) Billy Legate 1-yd. run (no kick) Rushing No. Not Passing Comp.-Att Yds. Brian Knuckles 8 57 Tommie Frazier 5-8 69 Joel Makovicka 7 52 Matt Turman 7-12 63 Tommie Frazier 1 28 Brook Berringer 4-8 51 Jeff Makovicka 5 27 Scott Frost 8-11 127 Receiving No. Yds. No. Yds. Vershan Jackson 3 50 Sean Wieting 2 48 Lance Brown3 25 Andy Miller2 22 mage with 28 yards on only one rushing attempt. The lack of offensive power is probably related to Nebraska’s in juries at I-back, Osborne said. The Huskers were without Lawrence Phillips, Damon Benning, James Sims and Clinton Childs, who was runningat the full back position. Brian Knuckles, who led all rushers with 57 yards, left the scrimmage early with a sprained ankle. “That position was very thin to day,” Osborne said. “We have mostly fullbacks playing I-back, so we were obviously short-handed.” The offense was held out of the end zone throughout most of the first half of the 120-play scrim mage, but finally hit pay dirt when Jeff Makovicka scored the first of Nebraska s four touchdowns on a 10-yard run. Nebraska’s next threat ended when Brook Berringer was inter cepted at the goal line by Tray Crayton. Berringer finished the day with 51 yards passing on a 4-of-8 perfor mance but threw two interceptions. He also rushed four times for seven yards. The good sign was that Nebraska’s offense was moving, Osborne said. He said the sewing would come later. “There were some turnovers and some things you don’t want to see, but it’s part of an early scriipmage,” Osborne said. “I thought the effort was good. The offense at times moved the ball better than 1 thought See SCRIMMAGE on 8 -_I Hot start helps team end weekend with win By Trevor Parks Staff Reporter The Nebraska women’s softball team responded to a character test posed to it by Coach Rhonda Revelle. Alter losing an emotional first game of a double header to Okla homa State Sunday, the Cornhuskers made sure their coach knew just how much charac 1—-1 ■ -1 ter they had. Revelle The 12th-ranked Comhuskers won the second game 11-1 in front of a crowd of 385 at the Nebraska Softball Complex to im prove to 22-12 and 2-2 in the confer ence. No. 19 Oklahoma State dropped to 21-13 and 2-2 in the Big Eight. The Cowgirls won the first game 6 4 after scoring two runs in the top of the eighth inning. Revelle said after her test, the Husk ers couldn’t wait for the second game to get started. “I was actually glad to be the visi tors for the game, Revelle said. “1 wanted to get up and score.” The Husker bats remained hot in the third inning. Gloria Von Rentzall began the in ning with a double and advanced to third when Oklahoma State right fielder Karie Langlier dropped an Echo-Hawk fly ball. Cowgirl pitcher Carol Lauer walked Viola to load the bases. With no outs, Karla Knicely beat out a little dribbler back to the pitcher to score Von Rentzall. Angela Blackwood knocked in the second run of the inning with a sacri fice fly to right field to score Echo Hawk. After Kim Ward relieved Lauer, Jenny Smith knocked in Viola with a single. Sherry Allcorn’s groundout knocked in Knicely to give Nebraska a 5-0 lead. Blackwood also helped the Husk ers on the mound as well. The freshman from Broken Arrow, Okla., improved to 9-6 and allowed only four hits. Blackwood said it was good to win against a team from her home state. “This is one 6f my better games,” Blackwood said. “I had an pff day yesterday, and I thought of coming out here and proving myself to everyone.” In the fourth inning, the Huskers scored four runs after banging out seven singles. Von Rentzall again led off the in ning with a single, and Echo-Hawk See SOFTBALL on 8