Monday, April 20,1998SS3 Page 9
Huskers sweep 14th-ranked Sooners
By Andrew Strnad
Staff Reporter
If the Nebraska baseball team did
n’t have a Big 12 rival before this
weekend it does now.
The Comhuskers brought out the
brooms at Buck Beltzer Field as junior
Donny Starkins belted a two-out
eighth inning fast ball to break a 12-12
tie Sunday and give the Huskers a
three-game sweep of the 14,h-ranked
Sooners in front of 872 fans.
“They may have taken us a little
lightly,” NU Head Coach Dave Van
Horn said. “(The series) is going to
leave a bitter taste in their mouth.”
Entering the weekend, the Huskers
(19-14 overall, 5-7 in the Big 12
Conference) were in last place in the
Big 12 and their postseason hopes
were almost nonexistent.
Meanwhile, the Sooners (29-12
and 9-7) came into the weekend with a
chance to overtake Baylor atop the Big
12 standings.
The series resulted in the first
Husker sweep over Oklahoma since
1987, as NU scored 35 runs during the
series.
“This puts us right back into con
tention,” Starkins said. “We were able
to get timely hitting and put it together.
Matt Miller/DN
KU’S SARA HOLLAND charges into NU catcher Jenny Smith during the second game of a doubleheader
Sunday at the Nebraska Softball Complex. Smith hung onto the ball and Holland was called out on the play.
Softball team wins four
By James Nicas
Staff Reporter
As storm clouds formed over
head Sunday afternoon, the
Nebraska softball team was not
about to allow the Kansas Jayhawks
to rain on Senior Day.
Trailing 2-0 in the bottom of the
fourth inning of the second game of
a doubleheader, the seventh-ranked
Cornhuskers erupted for five runs
in the inning and three more in the
fifth to win 8-2.
In the first game, Jenny Voss
tossed a shutout in a 5-0 Nebraska
win.
With the victories over Kansas,
the Huskers (36-8) are now a per
fect 14-0 in the Big 12 Conference.
NU catcher Jenny Smith started
the scoring in game two with a sin
gle to center field driving in Jamie
Fuente and Ali Viola. After a
Christie McCoy walk and a Kelly
Pinkepank single, Alice Brewer
singled to right field to drive in
Smith. With two outs in the inning,
Voss drove in two with a double to
left to end the scoring for the
inning.
In the bottom of the fifth.
Nebraska decided home runs were
easier with solo shots by Fuente,
Viola and McCoy.
Fuente went 2 for 3 with a home
run and two runs scored. Fuente
said hitting second in the batting
order for the first time this weekend
helped her regain her swing.
“I was trying to relax and make
contact,” Fuente said. “I just hap
pened to have some power.”
In the first game, Nebraska
struck early, scoring three runs in
the first inning to give Voss all the
support she needed.
First baseman Fuente, started
the scoring with a two-run homer
bringing in Lizama. Three batters
later, McCoy continued her torrid
weekend with a solo shot.
Jenny Voss did not let the sup
port go to waste as Kansas leadoff
hitter Sarah McCann had the only
hit in the game. Voss retired the last
18 batters she faced while limiting
the Jayhawks to two base runners in
the game.
McCoy, one of four graduating
seniors, made sure the entire week
end was one she would not forget.
On Saturday, the San Mateo,
Calif., native set a Nebraska record
with three homers in a 9-2 victory
over 15th-ranked Missouri.
Nebraska also won the first game 8
7 in 12 innings behind the powerful
bat of McCoy.
For the weekend, McCoy went 7
for 10 with five home runs and 10
RBIs.
“I can not say I’ve had a week
end like this before,” McCoy said.
“My family was here, so it made the
entire weekend very special.”
With the victories over Kansas
and Missouri, Nebraska can now
look ahead to winning its first confer
ence title in 10 years next weekend.
Nebraska will travel to fifth
ranked Oklahoma and 1 Oth-ranked
Oklahoma State to settle the Big 12
race.
“We have a big challenge next
weekend and a lot to look forward
to,” McCoy said. “We need to stay
focused on what we should do and
should do a great job.”
There was never a doubt in our minds.”
Sunday’s series finale included
four lead changes, eight home runs and
two ejections.
Nebraska got on the board first
with a lead-off home run by shortstop
Bryan Schmidt. It was the second con
secutive game in which the senior led
off with a dinger.
Schmidt was again in the middle of
another heated play in the second
inning after OU took a 2-1 lead.
With one out and a man on second,
Sooner shortstop Derek Wathan hit a
double-play ball to NU second base
man Kevin Harrington, but Schmidt’s
throw to first baseman Ken Harvey
was wide, and Wathan took off for sec
ond.
Catcher Brian Johnson was back
ing up Harvey and threw the ball to
Schmidt, who tagged out Wathan.
Wathan barrel-rolled into Schmidt,
and the two exchanged shoves as the
benches cleared. Wathan and OU third
baseman Jeremy Vidales were ejected.
Things remained quiet until the
sixth, when Oklahoma knocked NU
starter Chad Wiles out of the game,
sending 10 batters to the plate and
scoring six runs.
Pinch hitter Rick Park delivered
the biggest blow in the frame with a
grand slam off of NU reliever Brian
Downing, giving OU an 8-2 lead.
“I told the team after the sixth, that
our big inning hadn’t happened yet and
that we would have our chance,” Van
Horn said.
Van Horn was right as the Huskers
sent 16 batters to the plate in the bot
tom of the seventh, scoring 10 runs.
Starkins started the inning by
reaching first base on a wild pitch after
striking out.
That mistake by OU starter Kevin
Olsen would be an omen for the Sooner
pitching staff, as they would use five
pitchers to stop the flood gates.
Please see SWEEP on 11
Wistrom among 6
Huskers drafted
By Sam McKewon
Senior Reporter
Two years after drinking dirty water
with Lawrence Phillips in the first
round of the NFL Draft, the St. Louis
Rams went back to
the same well.
With the same
No. 6 pick they
used to select the
troubled Phillips in
1996, the Rams
picked another
Nebraska player
with solid creden
tials - but no per
Wistrom sonal problems -
in defensive end
Grant Wistrom.
Wistrom was one of six
Cornhuskers selected in the draft last
weekend.
“Coach (Dick) Vermeil asked, ‘How
would (you) like to be a Ram'.’'” Wistrom
said in a press conference Saturday. “I
said, ‘Coach, I couldn’t be happier.’”
Vermeil said Wistrom was a great
choice for the Rams, who finished 5-11
and in last place in the NFC West.
“1 am really pleased to bring this cal
iber of player,” Vermeil said, “because he
will make an immediate impact.”
St. Louis had a horrific expenence
with Phillips two years ago, getting crit
icized for selecting him and then letting
him go last season for failing to show up
to practice.
Wistrom, who joins former Huskers
Toby Wright and Zach Wiegert in St.
Louis, said he does not feel any pressure
to correct Nebraska’s image.
“I don’t feel the Nebraska name is
all that bad in St. Louis,” Wistrom said.
“You’ve got two players who are start
Please see DRAFT on 11
Crouch tightens close
NU quarterback race
By Shannon Heffelfinger
Senior Reporter
After starting the spring in the
shadows of Frankie London and
Bobby Newcombe, redshirt freshman
quarterback Eric Crouch finally
grabbed some of the spotlight for
himself.
Crouch, aided by an injury
plagued defense and a strong perfor
mance by the Cornhuskers offense,
shared playing time with the No. 1
offensive unit - along with London
and Newcombe - in NU’s second full
scrimmage of the spring.
A product of Millard North High
School in Omaha, Crouch responded
with 63 yards passing and several key
option plays, including a perfectly
timed pitch to I-back DeAngelo
Evans that led to a 39-yard run
against the No. 1 defense.
“Going with the ones makes a big
difference,” said Crouch, who began
seeing work with the top offense in
practice last week. “It was a good
confidence-builder for me. This past
week I’ve just told myself to stay as
calm as I could be.”
Crouch, who started the spring as
the No. 5 quarterback after redshirt
ing last fall, said he has made “a lot of
progress,” but still has a ways to go.
“I did all right (Saturday), but
there are things I could have done
better,” Crouch said. “I know I have a
lot to work on, but this is definitely a
good stepping stone.”
London also performed well,
breaking loose for a 59-yard run and
throwing a 49-yard touchdown pass
to Shawn Applegate.
“We were overwhelmed by how
we played last Saturday,” London
said. “This was a lot more enjoyable.
Everybody let down the wails on
offense this time.”
The defense was far from full
strength. Kyle Vanden Bosch, Erwin
Swiney, Chad Kelsay, Carlos Polk
and Mike Rucker were held out
because of injuries, and Dion Booker
and Steve Warren suffered minor
injuries during the scrimmage.
But the big story was the quarter
back race that has suddenly become a
little crowded with one week of prac
tice remaining.
“This upcoming week we are
going to have to do whatever it takes
and play our best,” Crouch said.