Solid pitching helps Huskers net three-game sweep
By David Wilson
Staff writer
Even Wisconsin-Mihvaukee Baseball Coach
Jerry Augustine, who pitched for the Milwaukee
Brewers from 1975-83, was impressed with the
three-man rotation Nebraska threw at the
Panthers on Saturday and Sunday.
Two true freshmen and a junior college
transfer - all newcomers to the Comhusker
baseball program last fall - combined to surren
der eight earned runs in 19 2/3 innings as NU
took three games from the UWM at Buck
Beltzer Field.
“The kids that started against us all threw
well,” Augustine said. “And when you get good
pitching and play good defense, you win ball
games.”
The Huskers’ bats were clicking, too, as NU
outscored Wisconsin-Milwaukee 31-16 in its
home-opening weekend. Nebraska received
support throughout the entire lineup - highlight
ed by second baseman John Cole’s two-home
runs in the second game of Sunday’s double
header.
Cole, a freshman starting just his third game
of the season, knocked a solo shot in the second
inning before connecting on a two-run dinger to
right center in the fourth.
“I had been struggling a little bit, and Coach
kept on telling me to be patient and have confi
dence,” said Cole, who hit ninth in the order
Sunday. “It paid off, I guess. It was good to be
able to help the team a little bit”
His second homer, and third hit of the sea
son, was part of a four-run Husker fourth, which
turned a one-run lead into a 9-4 advantage. NU
won the game 10-5 in front of978 fans
Junior Scott Fries, one of three newcomers
Nebraska 13 10
UWM4 5
to work his way into the starting rotation,
earned his team-leading third win of the season
in the final game, tossing seven innings and
allowing three earned runs while striking out
seven.
His mistakes, however, were costly, as
Wisconsin-Milwaukee closed NU’s lead to one
run with two homers in the fourth inning. But
after that, Fries didn’t allow an earned run.
“Both the home runs that I gave up were fast
balls that got up too high,” Fries said. “I made a
couple mistakes. You just try not to think about it
and keep doing what we were doing.”
And that’s all Van Horn asks for.
“Fries just did what he’s been doing every
outing,” Van Horn said. “He made a couple of
mistakes, and he paid, but he’s just been out
standing. We put him on the mound and I can tell
that our players just feel like we’re going to have
a chance to win.”
Van Horn said he was also glad to see the
offense strike back after the Panthers (0-5)
closed NU’s lead to one.
“When you jump out to a five-run lead and
the next thing you know it’s 5-4, it’s kind of
nerve-wracking,” Van Horn said. “It seemed like
we had it in hand, then here they come hitting the
home runs. It was good to get through those
middle innings and punch in some runs.”
In the series opener Saturday, true freshman
Steve Hale (2-2) earned the win while giving up
three runs through 7 2/3 innings pitched. Hale
struck out 10 Panthers as NU won 8-7.
Shane Komine, also a true freshman, worked
five innings and gave up two earned runs in
Sunday’s first game. Komine improved to 2-0 as
the Huskers rolled to a 13-4 victory.
“Our starting pitching was outstanding all
weekend,” Van Horn said.
The three wins will also give Nebraska some
momentum before beginning its Big 12 sched
ule next week against Oklahoma in Norman,
Okla.
“This is a big confidence-booster going to
OU to play three tough games,” Cole said. “I
think we have some confidence up. Everybody
is coming together and gelling as a team. I think
....n..
Mike Warren/DN
NEBRASKA’S JOHN COLE slides Into second base attempting to break up a double play, as
Wisconsin-Mllwaukee second baseman turns and throws to first, during the first game of a
douMeheader Sunday. Nebraska swept Wisconsin-Mllwaukee in three games.
- - ■■■ ■ » ■ — . ■ ■ .. i£l
NU softball
finishes 2-3
at tourney
By Brandon Schulte
Staffwriter
Up and down could be used to
describe the Nebraska softball teams’
trip to Georgia for the NFCA Lead Off
Classic.
The Comhuskers won two games
while dropping three in the tournament,
^ before being eliminated in the semi
final game of the Bronze bracket
NU defeated No. 21 Florida State
and Boston College, while dropping
games to No. 10 Massachusetts, No. 11
DePaul and Colorado State.
The Huskers started off on a high
note by winning a nail-biter against the
Seminoles 1-0. Freshman Leigh Ann
Walker struck out 15 in the one-hit
shutout and Jennifer Lizama provided
the offense with a solo shot in die fourth
inning
In the second game, All-American
pitcher Jenny Voss picked up her first
loss on the young season, dropping a 4
1 decision to DePaul. The turning point
came in the sixth when Voss gave up a
three-run homer to Karen Stewart that
broke up a 1-1 tie.
Colorado State nipped Nebraska in
the final game of pool play 3-2 to send
the Huskers to the Bronze bracket NU
heldaprecanous2-l lead going into die
bottom of the seventh, when CSU’s
Holly Schmillen singled two runs to
win die game.
Nebraska came out with an offen
sive flurry in the first game of tourna
ment play against Boston College. The
Huskers used a 10-hit, 10-run barrage
to win 10-2 in five innings.
Massachusetts ended Nebraska’s
trip south by whipping them 4-0.
Massachusetts’ All-American pitcher
Danielle Henderson shutout NU on a
one-hitter.
On the 2-3 performance at the
Classic NU Coach Rhonda Revelle saw
positives in the disappointing touma-.
ment
“In all it wasn’t a particularly good
tournament,” Revelle said. “But some
times not winning gives you much
■/ more to work on.”
The team will be in action next at
the National Invitational Softball
Tournament on March 11-14 in San
Jose, Calif.