The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current, April 13, 1998, Page 10, Image 10

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    Daniel Luedert/DN
TEXAS A&M SHORTSTOP Steve Scarborough catches the ball to tag Nebraska’s Kevin Harrington as he slides into
second base Saturday afternoon at Buck Beltzer Field. Nebraska lost to Texas A&M 13-5 in the first game of a dou
bleheader.
A&M takes two of three
■ Ml is swept by the
Aggies in a Saturday
doubleheader.
By Andrew Strnad
Staff Reporter
Just as dungs appeared to be going
Nebraska’s way. the Cornhuskers ran
into Texas A&M first baseman John
Seheschuk.
After the Cornhuskers upset the
1 3th-ranked Aggies 4-3 on Friday night,
Texas A&M Head Coach Mark
Johnson and his team had a long meet
ing before the Aggies pounded out 29
hits in a doubleheader on Saturday after
noon at Buck Beltzer Field.
“We were discouraged Friday
night,” Johnson said. “I didn’t sleep
well, so we had a long meeting and sort
ed some things out.”
It must have worked as Seheschuk s
7-for-10, three-home-run, nine-RBI
performance almost single-handedly
led the Aggies over the Huskers 13-5
and 9-4 before 834 fans.
Scheschuk hit two round-tnppers in
the second game for Texas A&M (31-13
overall and 14-7 in the Big 12
Conference) as NU was crippled by the
relief work of sophomore Chance
Caple. Chad Wiles (3-2) took the loss
for Nebraska.
Caple pitched 5 2/3 innings of no-hit
ball as he struck out nine Huskers and
moved ltis record to 7-0 on the season.
The right-hander entered the game
with one out in the fourth inning after
Husker shortstop Bryan Schmidt drilled
a two-run homer to left-center field off
Aggie starter Matt Ward to cut the
Aggie lead to 4-3.
One run would be as close to Texas
A&M as NU would get as Caple used
an assortment of pitches to shut the
Huskers down.
“Our hitters couldn’t hit the curve,
and they were undisciplined at the plate
all afternoon,” Nebraska Coach Dave
Van Horn said. “It s been that way a lot
this season.”
NU designated hitter Donny
Starkins, who provided the game-win
ning two-run single in the ninth inning
on Friday, summed up the day in one
word: frustration.
“Our performance today spoiled the
series,” Starkins said. “We got a huge lift
(Friday) and today we had guys on base
but couldn't get any hits.”
The Huskers had troubles putting
the ball in play as they struck out 25
times in the two-game affair.
Meanwhile, the Aggies had no
problems scoring runs as they pounded
out six homers on the day.
Scheschuk led the charge in both
games after struggling at the plate on
Friday, going 0 for 3.
The junior lefty began the day on
Saturday with a 4-for-6 outing in the
first game - including a grand-slam
homer to the opposite field off of senior
Please see BASEBALL on 11
NU falls to Aggies,
defeats Creighton
By Sam McKewon
Senior Reporter
The conditions were right for the
Nebraska men’s tennis team to upset
No. 17 Texas A&M Sunday afternoon.
NU Coach Kerry McDermott saw it
happemng. So did his team.
But the 78th-ranked Comhuskers
missed opportunities in key matches
and lost to the Aggies 4-3 at the Woods
Tennis Center in front of estimated
crowd of 100.
“It was a hard-fought match,”
McDermott said. “You’re thrilled if you
win a match like this, and you’re mad if
you don’t.”
The Huskers (13-8 overall and 2-5
in the Big 12 Conference) came back to
defeat Creighton 7-0 Sunday night,
winning all six singles matches in
straight sets. NU also won No. 2 and
No. 3 doubles to take the doubles point.
But against A&M, it was the Aggies
(12-4 overall and 5-2 in the Big 12
Conference) who took the doubles
point. NU then made its move.
Junior Dinko Verzi raised his record
to 14-6 by beating Shawn Madden 7-6,
6-3 in No. 1 singles, and sophomore
Andrew Wiese cruised past Juan
Aramburo 6-2, 6-1 in the No. 5 singles
match.
But the Aggies won the two close
matches that ultimately decided the
final score. In No. 2 singles, A&M
senior Carlos Tori edged NU freshman
Jorge Abos Sanchez 7-6, 7-6 - a match
in which Sanchez lost a 5-2 lead in the
second set.
Right before that match ended, Juan
Aramburo beat Husker sophomore
Kelsey Moran in three sets 6-2,1-6,7-5
in No. 6 singles. Moran had served for
the match at 5-4 before losing the last
three games.
Please see TENNIS on 11
Defense has way
in NU scrimmage
By Sam McKewon
Senior Reporter
Saturday was not a good day
to be an offensive player for the
Nebraska football team.
It took 44
plays for the
NU offense to
get a first
down against
t h e
C ornhusker
defense in the
first full
scrimmage of
the spring at
Memorial
Stadium.
When it did come, it was with
the third-team offense on a
fourth-down pass from redshirt
freshman Eric Crouch to wing
back Demond Finister.
The first-team offense, com
manded by quarterbacks Bobby
Newcombe and Frankie London,
was able to score only one touch
down. Combined, London and
Newcombe lost 14 yards on 20
carries. The duo completed only
n ~ c \ s_
/ l IKJ
After the scrimmage, London
said he didn't see many positives
offensively.
“We all have some things we
have to work on offense,” London
said. “I can’t even say everything
that w'ent wrong. We didn't exe
cute.”
The Nebraska defense, on the
other hand, was all smiles after
the scrimmage, making up for a
less-than-perfect performance
last Wednesday in a half scrim
mage.
“We just told ourselves: Get
off to a good start,” senior defen
sive tackle Jason Wiltz said. “And
we did. We got all the kinks out,
and we're back in the groove.”
NU Coach Frank Solich said
the offense didn’t advance as far
as he would have liked on
Saturday.
“We didn’t execute or block
very well,” Solich said. “I’m not
totally displeased, but we’ve got a
way to go.”
U-- 'f
. / V eveft
everything that
went wrong"
Frankie London
quarterback
Nebraska’s defense seemed to
disrupt the offense from the
opening snap, dismantling the
option game and hurrying the
quarterbacks on passes.
Neither London nor
Newcombe had time to throw
downfield, as the longest comple
tion either had was Newcombe’s
16-yard pass to tight end Sheldon
Jackson.
Solich said the quarterbacks
didn’t have time to execute any
big plays.
“They did some nice things,”
Solich said. “But they were really
coramWinrY all Aa\r TViam pAiilHn’t
execute the option game.”
NU did have some strong
offensive showings, mostly from
third- and fourth-string players.
Senior quarterback Jay Runty
completed 6 of 9 passes for 73
yards and a touchdown, and
freshman Alik Tillery had 13 car
ries for 77 yards and a touch
down. It was Tillery’s second
score of the spring.
No defensive statistics were
kept, but NU's defense held the
offense to 2.5 yards per carry and
recovered two fumbles. It held
No. 1 I-back DeAngelo Evans to
12 yards on six carries, as well.
Wiltz said he foresees the
defense continuing to play well
throughout spring practice,
which ends with the Red-White
Spring Game on April 25.
“The defense was designed
for speed,” Wiltz said. “It’s going
to be tough for any team to keep
up with us.”
Voss sets single-season win record
By Shannon Heffelfinger
Senior Reporter
With little celebration or praise,
Jenny Voss shattered the Nebraska
softball team’s single-season record
for wins in record time.
The sophomore pitcher allowed
nine hits and struck out 10 batters in
13.2 innings Saturday as the
Comhuskers defeated Baylor 4-0 and
4-1 in a doubleheader in Waco, Texas.
Voss (25-6) broke the 24-win
record she set as a freshman - and she
did it in record time. Nebraska has
more than one month of regular-sea
son play left.
The Huskers (32-8 overall and 8-0
in the Big 12 Conference) barely
noticed the record. NU Assistant
Coach Lori Sippel said NU’s focus
fell elsewhere Saturday.
“We actually didn’t celebrate
(Voss’ record) much,” Sippel said.
“I’m kind of sorry we didn’t. But
we’re just at that point where we’re so
focused as a team on winning this
«
We actually didn V celebrate (Voss 'record)
much. Vm kind of sorry we didn’t.”
Lori Sippel
NU assistant softball coach
conference that we just hopped on the
plane and went home after the game
without really thinking about it.”
Nebraska, which moved up to No.
7 in last week’s NFCA/USA Today
Poll, has won 11 straight - the third
longest winning streak in school his
tory.
All cylinders were clicking for
NU against the Bears. In the first
game, sophomore Jennifer Lizama
hammered a double to left in the top
of the first inning. Catcher Jenny
Smith singled Lizama in from third
for NU’s first run.
Runs by Alice Brewer and Jamie
Fuente followed, and the Huskers
added their fourth and final run in the
seventh when Lizama stole home.
During the double header, Lizama
went 3 for 5 with three runs scored.
“We’ve had people hit very well,”
Sippel said. “There have been hills
and valleys, but our team has been so
mature that there has always been
someone to pick them up.”
Despite Voss’ record-setting per
formance and the impressive play of
the entire team, Sippel said, the
Huskers are still a long way from per
fection.
“Have we hit all six cylinders
yet?” Sippel said. “No, I don’t think
so. But we’re just going to keep plug
ging away until we get there, and the
girls believe we will.”