Sports
Home run barrage leads Huskers to sweep
By Derek Samson
Senior Reporter
The bats of the Nebraska softball
team, along with the overall perfor
mance of Angela Blackwood, was
enough to propel it to a doubleheader
sweep ofWicluta State Thursday night.
The Comhuskers won 6-0 in the
first game and 4-2 in the second after
hitting four home runs in the two
games.
Blackwood earned the win in the
first and the save in the second game
to help Nebraska improve to 39-17.
In die first game, Tobin Echo-Hawk
put the Huskers on top early with her
solo home run in the first inning.
That would prove to be all
Blackwood would need, as she pitched
her fourth shutout of the year on a
three-hit performance.
“She’s grown tremendously this
year,” Nebraska coach Rhonda
Revelle said. “When we started the
season, it took her probably six or
seven games before she could finish a
game. Now, she’s throwing double
headers.”
Gloria Von Rentzell scored on
Blackwood’s single in the third in
ning to put the Huskers up 2-0. Ne
braska, however, stranded the bases
loaded, just as it did in the second
inning.
Revelle said the Huskers weren’t
getting the big hit when they needed to
early in the first game.
“I thought we were spreading the
hits out a little too much in the first
game,” Revelle said. “If we could
have got a few more back-to-backs,
we could have opened that game up
pretty quick. But I thought we got the
hits when we needed to.”
The only threat the Shockers made
in the first game came in the fifth
inning.
Trailing 2-0, Wichita State loaded
the bases with no outs, but Blackwood
struck out three consecutive batters to
get out of the inning.
Amy Offenbacker added some in
surance runs for the Huskers in the
Damon Lee/DN
Nebraska’s Saundra Brown slides into second base as Wichita State’s Ozzie Smith juggles the ball during the second game between
the Huskers and Shockers Thursday night. The Huskers won both games by scores of 6-0 and 4-2.
sixth inning with a two-run home run.
Von Rentzell and Echo-Hawk fol
lowed Offenbacker’s home run with
singles and both later scored on
Blackwood’s double to put Nebraska
up 6-0. ^
In the second game, the Shockers
struck first with two runs in the third
inning.
OfFenbacker answered by leading
off Nebraska’s third inning with a solo
home run. Ali Viola later reached base
on a double and scored on
Blackwood’s single to tie the game 2
2.
Saundra Brown gave Nebraska a
3-2 lead in the fourth inning when her
fly ball bounced off the top of the
fence before falling over for a home
run.
Nebraska added a run in the sixth
inning when Sarah Sinclair scored af
ter Wichita State shortstop Ozzie
Smith misjudged a fly ball.
Wichita State made its final threat
in the seventh inning when Nebraska
pitcher Stacie Stafford walked the first
three batters to load the bases.
Blackwood came in for the save
and sat down the next three batters—
striking out two of them.
“Stacie hadn’t thrown for 10 days
— period,” Revelle said. “I thought
she did fine, but it was a situation
where she was ready to come out be
cause she wanted what was best for
the team. She knew her timing was a
bit off, but she ’ll be right back for us.”
Senior confidence affects
gymnastic team’s success
By Trevor Parks
Staff Reporter
Confidence may have been the biggest
reason the Nebraska women’s gymnastics
team made the NCAA Championships fto
the first time since 1990 this year.
Now, the Comhuskers look to carry over
that confidence to next year, although they
lose four seniors.
Coach Dan Kendig said those seniors
were the reason why Nebraska made the trip
to the NCAAs this year. „
“We competed a lot more this year with
confidence, and that can be attributed to the
fact that we had four seniors,” Kendig said.
“They had some goals, and if they didn’t
accomplish them this year, they weren’t go
ing to accomplish them.”
The Huskers lose Jennifer Hawkinson,
Kristi Camp, Nicole Duval and Martha
Jenkins, but the cupboard isn’t left bare.
Next year, Joy Taylor and Meghan
Nicolini will try to fill that senior role. Both
are the only two seniors on the team.
Taylor was named a second-team All
American in the uneven bars with a 9.8 at the
NCAA meet. Taylor led the Huskers in the
all-around with a 38.425.
Overall Nebraska finished 11th with a
score of 191.75 at the NCAAs.
Also returning are sophomore sensations
Shelly Bartlett and Kim DeHaan. Bartlett
had a 38.3 in the all-around at the NCAA
Championships, and DeHaan scored a 3 8.25.
Kendig said those four would have to
show the leadership that the seniors showed
this year.
“We competed a lot more this
year with confidence, and
that can be attributed to the
fact that we had four
seniors. ”
■
DAN KENDIG
Nebraska women's gymnastics coach
“I don’t think it is something where we
need to tell than what to do and how to do it .”
Also, medical redshirt freshman Laurie -
McLaughlin is expected to be healthy by
next year.
Kendig said McLaughlin had wodced on
the uneven bars and balance beam, and it may
have been good few her to sit out last year.
“The knowledge and information she
picked up by all the meets that she’s been to
will be helpful,” Kendig said. “It’s kind of
hard to sit and watch because you want to be
out there.”
The Huskers also have added five recruits
for next season.
Kendigsaid Nebraska signed Jamie Basile
from Chicago, Jessica Swift of St. Cloud,
Minn., Courtney Brown from Fishers, Ind.,
Misty Oxford of Kelso, Wash., and Ami
Dillman from Katy, Texas.
This season Nebraska handled the pres
sure, which made it an unforgettable season
for Kendig.
Baseball needs second wind
as team falls to fourth place
ey Jen enescn
Senior Reporter
It is crunch time for the Nebraska baseball
team.
The Comhuskers, 9-11 in the Big Eight and
27-18 overall, have fallen into a fourth-place tie
with Kansas State in the Big Eight.
The Huskers had a chance to move ahead of
the Wildcats with a two-game midweek series at
Buck Beltzer Stadium, but those games were
rained out and not rescheduled.
Nebraska left fielder Darin Erstad said not
being able to play the two games against the
T» UUVUIO UUIl UiV X X UuHvl 0
chances at an NCAA Re
gional bid.
“We sure would have liked
to play those games,”*Erstad
said. “More than likely we
would have split with them,
but at least we would have
had one more win.”
Erstad said the Huskers’
Erstad goal was towin 40 games this
^ season, and losing two op
portunities to play made that task more difficult.
- “It is going to be really tough to get there, but
we still nave a chance,” Erstad said. “Hopefully
we can go out and play well and get them.”
Nebraska opens a three-game series in Kan
sas tonight at 7, before returning home for the
last six games on its schedule.
Kansas is sixth in the Big Eight with a 7-15
conference record and 16-29 overall.
The Huskers have lost four of their last five
games and the usually hot Nebraska hitters have
cooled off, batting just .242 during that stretch.
And Nebraska’sthree, four and five hitters in
the lineup have struggled the most.
Erstad’s batting average has dropped 26
“It is going to be really tough
to get there, but we still have a
chance (to win 40 games). ”
m
DARIN ERSTAD
Nebraska left fielder
points from .470 to .444. Cleanup hitter Mel
Motley’s average has fallen 15 points from .386
to .371. And Todd Sears’ average has slipped
27 points from .373 to .346.
Nebraska coach John Sanders said the Husk
ers would need more production to beat the
Jayhawks.
“We need to get our hitting going, and this is
a good time to start,” Sanders said.
With Nebraska hitters slumping, Sanders
said the Huskers’ pitching staff may have to
pick up the slack.
Craig Sanders should start Friday against
Kansas ace Jamie Splittorff. Cody Winget
is scheduled to start Saturday against Dan
Rude.
John Sanders said he wasn’t sure who would
start for the Huskers Sunday.
Craig Sanders pitched well against Iowa
State last Friday, allowing two earned runs in
seven innings.
Winget is coming off the best start of his
career and Nebraska’s best pitching perfor
mance of the season. The senior from Murray,
Utah, threw a complete game, two-hit shutout
against Iowa State Sunday.
“We expect more good pitching perfor
mances,” Sanders said. “Cody pitched well last
week, and so did Craig.”