Huskers Roll to 11-2 Victory over SDSU

Lincoln ? Kyle Bubak had four hits and scored four times, while Casey Hauptman tossed six innings of one-run ball, lifting Nebraska to an 11-2 victory over South Dakota State Wednesday afternoon.

Bubak, hitting in the leadoff spot for the first time as a Husker, ignited a season-high 16-hit outburst by going 4-for-5 and scoring four times. Bubak, who is 9-for-13 in his last three games after going hitless in his first 10 at-bats, added two doubles and a pair of RBIs to help improve Nebraska to 6-3-1 on the season.

“He had a good day,” Anderson said of the junior infielder from Layton, Utah. “The thing I like is that he is generating offense from the leadoff spot. He just doesn’t like sitting, and made a decision that this is what I’ve got to do and put the ball on the ground and away we go.”

Hauptman was sharp in his second career start and first in exactly a year, scattering four hits in the longest outing of his career. The right-hander from Millard South improved to 2-0, fanning three over six frames and allowing just three runners into scoring position.

“I liked it a lot,” Anderson said of the Huskers’ effort on the mound.  “I thought our pitchers did a good job and we were very good defensively. It’s good to see Casey do that today. He has a big role on our staff, whether it’s a weekend starter or in the bullpen. He’s very similar to Dan Jennings last year, where he’s one of our most important guys.”

With Bubak providing a spark, Nebraska got production up and down the lineup on Wednesday. Adam Bailey drove in four runs by going 2-for-5 with his fifth homer of the year, while Cody Asche and Cody Neer both added two hits. Asche, who came in the game in the sixth, went 2-for-2 with two doubles and a pair of RBIs while Neer went 2-for-5 with a RBI. In all, 10 Huskers had at least one hit, while six players drove in at least one run.

NU jumped out early, scoring runs in each of the first two frames off SDSU starter and loser Caleb Theilbar (0-2).

Bubak got the Huskers going early, opening the first with a single, moved to second on an errant pickoff attempt and scored moments later on Jeff Tezak’s RBI single. NU manufactured a run in the second, as Thielbar hit Kale Kiser and DJ Belfonte with two outs before Khiry Cooper’s single to center made it a 2-0 game.

The Jackrabbits plated their only run in the third, as Billy Stitz’ triple plated Eric Cain to make it a one-run game, but that would be the only offense they would muster, as Hauptman retired 10 of the next 12 hitters and allowed only one hitter to reach scoring position before departing in the sixth.

By then, the Huskers had started to break the game open, scoring twice in the fifth and six innings to extend the margin to 6-1. Once again, Bubak ignited the rally with a leadoff double before Bailey drove in the Husker infielder two batters later. After a Tyler Farst single, Neer made it 4-1 with an RBI single to left. In the sixth, Bailey and Asche came through with two-out back-to-back double to push the lead to five runs.

From there, the Huskers turned things over to the bullpen where freshmen Sean Yost tossed two perfect innings before freshman Nate Kerkhoff worked the ninth in his Husker debut.

The Huskers blew the game open with five runs in the eighth, including a three-run homer by Bailey, an RBI double from Asche and Bubak’s fourth hit of the game, an RBI single.

The Huskers return to action Friday afternoon, as they begin a four-game series with Cal State Northridge. Tickets for the series can be purchased at Huskers.com and at the NU Ticket Office.  All four games will be carried on Huskers.com while Friday and Sunday’s games will be aired on selected Husker Sports Network stations.