Huskers Down Jackrabbits, 7-2

Lincoln ? Joba Chamberlain (Lincoln, Neb.) allowed one run and fanned nine over seven innings, as Nebraska topped South Dakota State, 7-2, Friday afternoon at Hawks Field.

Chamberlain, who improved to 3-0 with his third straight win, took a no-hitter into the sixth and held the Jackrabbits off the scoreboard until the seventh, as the Huskers improved to 9-2 on the year. Chamberlain struck out nine - his third straight outing of at least nine strikeouts - and didn’t allow a runner into scoring position until the sixth.

"Joba was great," Nebraska Coach Mike Anderson said. "He gave up a few base hits, but he was throwing a lot of strikes."

The right-hander was back by a Husker offense scored four runs in the first inning to take command. Daniel Bruce (Omaha, Neb.) provided the game’s big hit, a two-out, two-run triple to center off SDSU starter Tyson Bothof.

Brandon Fusilier (Coppell, Texas) and Brandon Buckman (Monument, Colo.) had two hits apiece, while six different Huskers drove in at least one run to help NU win its 27th straight home opener.

Nebraska struck quickly in the first, as Bryce Nimmo (Cheyenne, Wyo.) opened the game with a single and scored on Joe Simokaitis’ (St. Louis, Mo.) double to center. Three batters later, the Huskers loaded the bases and increased their lead to 2-0, as Curtis Ledbetter (Lawrence, Kan.) plated Simokaitis with a grounder to third. Bruce then sent a wind-blown triple past SDSU center fielder Korby Mintken to give the Huskers a four-run cushion.

That would be all that Chamberlain needed, as he faced the minimum over the first five innings. The right-hander walked Mintken to open the third, but quickly picked off SDSU’s only base runner of the first five innings, as he did not allow a hit until Kyle Sytsma’s one-out hit in the sixth.

The Huskers increased the lead to 6-0 in the fourth on Alex Gordon’s (Lincoln, Neb.) RBI double and a run-scoring single by Buckman, who recorded his sixth multi-hit game in nine contests. Fusilier extended the Husker lead to 7-0 in the sixth with a solo homer, his third of the season.

Bothof (1-1) suffered the loss, allowing seven runs on nine hits in seven innings of work.

The visitors got on the scoreboard in the seventh, as Tony Lane, who had two of the Jackrabbits’ (2-7) five hits, opened the frame with a single and eventually scored on a Husker error. In the eighth, SDSU trimmed the lead to 7-2 off reliever Mike Harmelink on Lane’s RBI single.

Harmelink, who was making his Husker debut after Tommy John surgery in December of 2003, settled down and finished with three strikeouts in two innings, getting the final two batters of the game on strikeouts.

The Huskers will continue the series Saturday afternoon with a twinbill beginning at 12:05 p.m. Left-hander Zach Kroenke (0-1, 7.36 ERA) will start the opener, while freshman Johnny Dorn (0-1, 1.04 ERA) will take the hill in the nightcap.

South Dakota State at #22 Nebraska Mar 11, 2005 at Lincoln, Neb. (Hawks Field)

South Dakota State 2 (2-7)

Player AB R H RBI BB SO PO A LOB ------------------------------------------------------ Nick Adams rf............ 4 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 Tony Lane 2b............. 4 1 2 1 0 2 0 1 0 Greg Geary 1b............ 4 0 1 0 0 2 6 0 1 Pat Farrell dh........... 4 0 1 0 0 2 0 0 0 Tim Hanigan lf........... 4 0 0 1 0 0 6 0 0 Tyson Fisher 3b.......... 3 0 0 0 1 3 1 0 0 Korby Mintken cf......... 2 0 0 0 2 1 6 0 2 Kyle Sytsma c............ 2 1 1 0 1 1 3 0 0 Kyle Knott ph........... 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 2 Chris Iverson ss......... 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 3 0 Tyson Bothof p........... 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 Gary Olechoski p........ 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Totals................... 29 2 5 2 4 12 24 6 6

Nebraska 7 (9-2)

Player AB R H RBI BB SO PO A LOB ------------------------------------------------------ Nimmo, Bryce cf.......... 5 1 1 0 0 1 1 0 1 Simokaitis, Joe ss....... 4 1 1 1 1 1 0 1 0 Gordon, Alex 3b.......... 3 1 1 1 2 0 0 1 0 Fusilier, Brandon lf..... 4 1 2 1 1 0 1 0 1 Buckman, Brandon dh...... 4 1 2 1 0 0 0 0 3 Ledbetter, Curtis 1b..... 4 1 0 1 0 1 7 0 2 Bruce, Daniel rf......... 3 0 1 2 1 0 3 0 0 Christy, Jeff c.......... 4 0 0 0 0 0 12 1 1 Opitz, Jake 2b........... 3 1 1 0 1 0 3 1 1 Chamberlain, Joba p...... 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 Harmelink, Mike p....... 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 Totals................... 34 7 9 7 6 3 27 7 9

Score by Innings R H E ------------------------------------------- South Dakota State.. 000 000 110 - 2 5 0 Nebraska............ 400 201 00X - 7 9 1 -------------------------------------------

E - Gordon, A.(3). LOB - Jackrabbits 6; Huskers 9. 2B - Simokaitis(2); Gordon, A.(2); Opitz, J.(1). 3B - Bruce, D.(1). HR - Fusilier, B.(3). SH - Iverson 2(3). CS - Mintken(2).

South Dakota State IP H R ER BB SO AB BF NP -------------------------------------------------- Tyson Bothof........ 7.0 9 7 7 5 1 31 36 127 Gary Olechoski...... 1.0 0 0 0 1 2 3 4 18

Nebraska IP H R ER BB SO AB BF NP -------------------------------------------------- Chamberlain, Joba... 7.0 3 1 1 2 9 22 25 93 Harmelink, Mike..... 2.0 2 1 1 2 3 7 10 34

Win - Chamberlain (3-0). Loss - Bothof (1-1). Save - None. WP - Chamberlain(2). Pitches/strikes: Bothof 127/77; Olechoski 18/10; Chamberlain 93/61; Harmelink 34/24. Umpires - HP: Tom Svehla 1B: Frank McEntarffer 3B: Patrick Spieler Start: 2:05p.m. Time: 2:10 Attendance: 2414 Game: NU11