Huskers Turn OU Miscues into 7-1 Win

Norman, Okla. ? Johnny Dorn pitched 6.2 innings of four-hit ball in his first Big 12 start, while Nebraska turned a pair of Sooner errors into five runs, as the No. 5 Huskers took the rubber match of the three-game series, 7-1, in front of a season-high crowd of 2,419 Saturday afternoon.

Dorn, the freshman right-hander from Grand Island, was solid in earning his third straight win in a conference series clincher, allowing one unearned run on four hits, as he took a shutout into the sixth.

Dorn (7-1) struck out one and issued one walk, as he picked up his team-high seventh win of the season, extending his streak without allowing an earned run to 18.1 innings.

With the victory, the Huskers head into finals week with a 37-9 overall record and 12-6 mark in the Big 12, surpassing last season’s totals in both wins and Big 12 wins. It also marked the fourth straight time the Huskers took a series from the Sooners (23-20, 7-11 Big 12) in Norman, dating back to 1999 and the first series OU had dropped at home this season.

Andy Gerch paced Nebraska’s nine-hit attack, going 3-for-4 with a run scored while Daniel Bruce had two doubles, extending his hit streak to a career-best 14 games, as Nebraska took advantage of three Sooner errors and turned them into five runs.

Nebraska took advantage of the Sooners’ first error of the series and a pair of wild pitches by Oklahoma starter Garrett Patterson to jump to a 3-0 advantage.

With one out, Bruce was hit by a pitch before Joe Simokaitis reached on an error by OU first baseman Eric Thornton, putting runners on first and second.

Alex Gordon then singled to load the load the bases for Curtis Ledbetter. The Husker first baseman plated Bruce with a fielder’s choice before Gerch drew a walk to load the bases for the second time this inning.

Patterson then uncorked a pair of wild pitches, scoring Simokaitis and Ledbetter to give the visitors a 3-0 lead.

Oklahoma had an early chance in the bottom of the first, using an infield hit and a Husker error to put runners on second and third but could not capitalize, as Dorn got Kevin Smith to pop out to end the threat.

After the first, Dorn settled down, retiring 15 straight Sooners until walking Kody Kaiser with one out in the sixth before running into trouble. Russell Raley put OU on the board with a double, as Trey Adams’ throw skipped away from Simokaitis, allowing Kaiser to score an unearned run.

The Husker bats awoke in the seventh, as they chased Patterson with a pair of runs. Ryan Werhle reached on an infield single, while and error on OU third baseman Ryan Rohlinger moved him to second. After a ground out moved Wehrle to third, Jeff Christy made it 4-1 with an RBI single to center. Bruce then gave the Huskers a four-run lead with an RBI double to left ? his second two-bagger of the afternoon.

Patterson pitched well, allowing two earned runs over 6.2 innings, as he struck out four and issued only one walk. The Sooner right-hander was hurt by a pair of wild pitches that scored two Husker runs in a three-run third.

The Sooners threatened in the seventh, as two singles and a balk on Dorn put runners on second and third with one out. The Husker right-hander got pinch hitter Jeff Scuderi to pop out for the second out. Dustin Timm then got the Huskers out of the jam, as Kaiser hit a grounder behind second that Wehrle made a spectacular play on to get the base runner.

The Huskers extended their lead to 7-1 in the top of the eighth, helped by a costly Sooner miscue. With two outs and runners on second and third, Jeff Christy’s grounder was misplayed by Raley, whose throw to first sailed wide of the bag for a two-base error, allowing both runners to score on the play.

The Sooners, who stranded 12 runners, loaded the bases with one out in the eighth, but Brett Jensen struck out Scott Rooker and got Joe Dunigan to ground back to the mound to end the rally. OU also loaded the bases in the ninth, but Jensen, who pitched the final 1.2 innings, kept the Sooners from getting closer

The Huskers will return home for final exams this week before taking on nationally ranked Missouri in a three-game series beginning Friday evening