Huskers Stop Cowboy Streak

Stillwater, Okla. - The No. 5 Nebraska baseball team used the long ball to build a 4-0 lead after three innings, before playing small ball to add four big runs in the eighth inning to power past No. 24 Oklahoma State 10-6 at Allie P. Reynolds Stadium in Stillwater, Okla., on Monday night.

With the victory, Nebraska ended OSU's 11-game winning stream and improved to 37-8 overall and 16-5 in the Big 12, while the Cowboys slipped to 33-14 and 12-9 in the conference. The home loss for the Cowboys was just their third in 28 games this season.

Johnny Dorn improved to 9-2 on the season for the Huskers, as the sophomore right-hander allowed three earned runs on seven hits through 5.2 innings. while Brett Jensen earned his ninth save of the year by striking out five in 2.2 innings, while surrendering NU's other three runs. OSU starter Josh Fritsche (2-1) took the loss for the Cowboys, allowing four earned runs while lasting just 2.2 innings.

The Huskers jumped to a 4-0 lead through the first three innings thanks to home runs from Andy Gerch, Andrew Brown and Luke Gorsett. After a scoreless first inning, Gerch led off the top of the second inning with a solo home run, his third of the season, to continue his torrid hitting over the past five games.

After a Jake Opitz groundout, Brown pounded a long solo homer, his fifth of the season, to push NU's lead to 2-0 off Fritsche.

Dorn set down the Cowboys in the bottom of the inning and the Nebraska order continued to build momentum in the top of the third. Brandon Buckman slapped a two-out single to right field before Gorsett blasted his 15th home run of the season to give the Huskers a 4-0 lead.

Dorn retired OSU in order in the bottom of the third, but after the Huskers went down in order in the top of the fourth, the Cowboys scratched across two runs in the bottom of the fourth inning. Ty Wright drove in Deik Scram with an RBI double for OSU's first run, before scoring on Shelby Ford's RBI single to cut NU's lead in half at 4-2. 

After a scoreless fifth inning, Oklahoma State pulled within a run in the bottom of the sixth and threatened to do more damage before Zach Herr pitched the Huskers out of trouble.

Scram led off OSU's sixth with a triple off the wall in right center, before Wright singled with one out to drive in Scram and cut NU's lead to 4-3. Ford then hit a ball off the end of his bat for an infield single to put runners on first and second for the Cowboys with one out. Jake Mort made an outstanding diving catch on a line drive to third for the second out, but his throw to second base attempting to double off Wright hit the runner in the back and rolled into the outfield, allowing both runners to move up 90 feet.

With the tying run at third and the go-ahead run at second with two outs, Herr relieved Dorn and struck out OSU catcher Matt Clarkson looking to end the Cowboy threat in the sixth.

OSU reliever Jeff Breedlove continued to quiet the Huskers with a scoreless seventh, and the Cowboys mounted another threat in the bottom of the inning.

Corey Brown led off the seventh with a single against Herr, before Tyler Mach and Scram drew one-out walks to load the bases with just one out.

But Husker closer Brett Jensen came on for his first appearance of the series and came through for the Huskers in a big way, striking out Wright before getting Adam Carr to fly out to center to end the rally.

Nebraska's hitters used the hold by Jensen to spark a four-run eighth inning rally. Again it was Gorsett and Gerch starting the NU outburst, this time with back-to-back one-out singles. Opitz then drew a walk to load the bases before Breedlove hit pinch-hitter Nick Sullivan on the first pitch to score Gorsett to give NU a 5-3 lead.

The hit-batsman ended Breedlove's day, as the Cowboys brought in Dusty Barnard. In a possible squeeze situation for Jeff Christy, the NU catcher bounced a single over a drawn in OSU infield to score both Gerch and Opitz and push the Husker lead back to four runs at 7-3.

Mort then used a perfectly executed sacrifice bunt to score Sullivan and give the Huskers an 8-3 lead.

Oklahoma State quickly cut into the NU lead in the bottom of the eighth, as Ford led off with a double and Jordy Mercer singled to put runners at the corners against Jensen with no out. Jensen then struck out Clarkson looking, and the OSU catcher was ejected for arguing the call.

Then Brown stepped to the plate and connected on a three-run homer to trim NU's edge to 8-6. Jensen got a fly out before striking out Mach looking to end the eighth inning.

On the first pitch of the ninth inning, Ryan Wehrle provided an insurance run with his sixth home run of the year to left field to push the lead to 9-6. Buckman followed with a single off OSU reliever Charles Benoit and stole second base against backup Cowboy catcher Ryan Flavell. Gorsett flied out deep to center to push Buckman to third base with one out before Gerch was intentionally walked to put runners at the corners for the Huskers.

Opitz followed with an RBI single to score Buckman with NU's final run.

Those two runs proved more than enough for Jensen, who struck out Scram looking to open the ninth and finished the game by striking out Carr.

For the game, Nebraska out-hit the Cowboys, 14-11, including 3-for-5 efforts at the plate from both Gorsett and Buckman. Gerch and Opitz each notched two hits for the Huskers, as NU's 3-4-5-6 hitters combined to go 10-for-17 with seven runs scored and four RBIs on the night.

The Huskers return to the friendly confines of Hawks Field at Haymarket Park on Wednesday when they play host to Northern Iowa. First pitch is scheduled for 6:35 p.m. with radio coverage provided by the Pinnacle Sports Network and Huskers.com.