Sports
Thursday, April 8,1999 * Page 9
Vlieger, Kimura help NU upend Bluejays
By David Wilson
Staffwriter
In the words of Nebraska third baseman Danny
Kimura, “It wasn’t pretty.”
Nonetheless, despite failing to capitalize on
each of Creighton’s six errors, the Comhusker
baseball team snapped a three-game losing streak
with a come-from-behind 5-4 win Wednesday
night at Buck Beltzer Field.
Kimura, who officially finished the game with
no hits in five at-bats, knocked in the game-win
ning run in the bottom of the 10th on a lazy sacri
fice fly to right field.
“I was glad to see that for Danny,” NU Coach
mm I
Dave Van Horn said. “He had a really frustrating
night. We keep saying that he’s just about to break
loose and it hasn’t happened yet.”
The 28th-ranked Huskers, who improved to
21-9, tied the game at
y . . -- four in the bottom of the
N6D13SK3 0 ninth with two outs. NU
Creiohton 4 junior shortstop Brandt
8 _Vlieger pushed the tying
run across poking a two-strike single to right.
Bluejay right fielder Ovid Valentin came up
just short of catching the soft liner on a diving
attempt, knocking the ball down as pinch runner
Adam Stem crossed the plate.
“Vlieger did it,” Van Horn said. “He stayed
over that pitch. It was 0-2, he battled back to 2-2.
Then that pitch he hit for a single was probably 6 to
8 inches outside, but you can’t take a chance.”
Vheger’s single, his only hit of the game, came
off Creighton reliever Scott Yahraus, who threw the
final 2 2/3 innings and earned the loss for the
Bluejays.
“When there are two strikes, you have to open
your zone up,” VUeger said. “I was looking for the
slider and I just slapped it to die right.”
Creighton Coach Jack Dahm said he was
expecting a 4-3 win before Vlieger’s single. With
die loss, CU fell to 19-10 before 1,119 fans.
“That’s a tough one to lose,” Dahm said. “We
had chances to put diem away, and we didn’t. They
took advantage of that.”
The Bluejays jumped out to a quick 2-0 lead in
the top of the first on an RBI single byYutan native
Peyton Lewis and a sacrifice fly from Dan Lawler.
CU added another in the third before Husker
starter Jarod Bearinger was pulled for Chad Wiles.
Wiles lasted 6 2/3 innings, surrendering one
run on eight hits while striking out seven batters.
“That might have been the best he’s thrown
since I’ve been here,” Van Horn said.
Nebraska scored one in the third on an Adam
Shabala single - and Ken Harvey, who entered the
game as a pinch hitter in the seventh, doubled and
scored following his first at-bat. Harvey currently
leads the nation with a .509 batting average.
Vlieger then put the Huskers within one in the
eighth, scoring on another Shabala single. Shabala
finished 2 for 4 with two RBIs.
Voss key to
narrow win
for Huskers
By Brandon Schulte
Staff writer
It wasn’t her trademark full-game
effort, but Jenny Voss saved the
Nebraska softball team again.
Clinging to a one-run lead in the top
of the fifth with the bases loaded and no
outs, Voss came in for relief and was
able to get the Nebraska out of the jam
for a 1-0 win in front of473 fans at NU
Softball Complex.
Creighton started things off in the
fifth with a bunt single, a single to right
and a walk. That set the stage for Voss,
who came on in relief of starter Leigh
. Ann Walker.
Nebraska 1 “i .i»ve
Creighton 0 I^nsVvoss
said. “It sets a
tone. They might not come out as hard
because it shows them that we’ve got
their number.”
Voss calmly slammed the door on
the Bluejays, getting a pdp out, a strike
out and inning ending ground out.
From that point on, not one Bluejay
advanced past second base.
The win marked the fourth time NU
has defeated CU on the season and was
the third straight time by one run. With
the win, Nebraska improved to 18-11
and Creighton dropped to 17-21.
Despite the apparent pressure, Voss
said she was up to the challenge.
“The team needs to see that I’m
confident coming into that situation,”
Voss said. “I know I can do with them
behind me. I just tried to think about
setting a tone, not only to the other
team, but for us also.”
Nebraska took a 1-0 lead in the sec
ond inning when freshman Leigh Suhr
doubled in Cindy Roethemeyer.
CU missed a chance to get out of
the inning without any damage, but CU
pitcher Shelli Mellegaard fumbled a
Ginger Taylor grounder with two outs
to keep the inning going. The error led
to Suhr’s game-winning RBI.
Walker was credited with the win,
her sixth of the season, as she pitched
four innings, striking out seven, giving
up three hits and no runs. Voss picked
up her first save of the season as she
pitched three scoreless innings with
four strikeouts.
The 1-0 win was surprising after
scores of 4-1,6-5 and 3-2 in the previ
ous three games between the instate
rivals.
“I knew we were going to pitch well
tonight,” NU Coach Rhonda Revelle
said. “But I didn’t expect a 1-0 game. I
thought we’d seen each other too much
and that there would be more scoring.
The loss was especially devastating
for Creighton, which had already
endured two come-ffom-behind victo
ry by Nebraska in the seventh inning.
NU COACH DAN KENDIG has a commanding presence as a coach on the gym floor and as a
promoter for both the team and the sport off it. It has paid off, as his record in six years at
NU is 98-21 and attendance has risen since he arrived.
“If I could get
0. a bullhorn
ana just
scream
to everyone
‘just this one time, come
out ami watch this team,’
and they came.
. I wouldn’t have to
Deg them back.”
—Dan Kendig
Story by
John Gaskins
Photos by
Matt Miller
NU COACH DAM itEMDIG consoles gymnast Heather
Brink after a routine at a meet. Both Kendig’s gym
nasts and coaches say his most redeeming coaching
quality is his “genuine care” for his athletes.
Err
Vocal NU coach will do
‘anything5 for Huskers
A group of shaken-up women’s gymnasts gathered at
center floor, fearing their worst nightmare had
arrived. In a sense, it had.
The Nebraska women had just humiliated themselves on
the beam, their best event, in a March 20 match against Iowa
State. Three of them fell. It wasn’t supposed to happen. It
couldn’t happen. But it did, and there was a lot to lose because
of it
Slipping from their hands was a 25-meet home winning
streak and solid confidence from a record breaking season.
NU had one event the floor, to make up a large deficil. It was
n’t likely.
A tall, bald man, decked in red, gathered them at center
floor and stared into their eyes. He thrust his hands out - he
always talks with his hands - and pushed them toward the
ground. He was calming them down. He told them they had
-1
Please see KENDIG on 11