Wildcats Take Two from Huskers

Lincoln ? Kansas State became the first team to take a twinbill against the Nebraska baseball team at Hawks Field, as the Wildcats swept a doubleheader against the Huskers by scores of 15-1 and 9-3 Friday afternoon.

It marked the first time the Huskers (16-13-1, 4-7 Big 12) had lost a doubleheader since April of 1999 and first time NU had been swept in a home twinbill since the 1998 campaign. Prior to Friday's KSU sweep, Nebraska had swept its last 10 home doubleheaders dating back to 2005.

“I’m extremely disappointed today,” Nebraska Coach Mike Anderson said. “I just didn’t feel like we competed most of the day. I felt like in 18 innings of baseball today we competed, we were probably more aggressive than them in maybe three innings and that’s it. You’re not going to win too many baseball games doing that.”

In the nightcap, the Huskers raced out to a 3-0 lead against K-State starter A.J. Morris, only to see the Wildcats come back with three runs in the fourth and three more in the fifth to take the lead for good. 

Consecutive singles by Jeff Tezak and Nick Sullivan started Nebraska’s second-inning rally before DJ Belfonte ripped a 3-2 pitch past third for an RBI double to put the Huskers on the board. It marked the first earned run that Morris had allowed in three Big 12 starts. Morris then uncorked a wild pitch that allowed Sullivan to score from third to stake the Huskers to a two-run lead, but play was marred by a incident at the plate that led to the ejections of Sullivan and KSU catcher Rob Vaughn. Cody Asche then made it a 3-0 advantage, as the freshman lined a sharp single to right.

Tezak went 2-for-4 with a run scored but no other Husker had more than one hit off Morris, who settled down after a rocky first three innings. NU loaded the bases with one out in the third, but could not score as Belfonte grounded into an inning-ending double play, a play that turned the momentum of the night.

Morris (8-0) allowed only one hit after the third and retired 11 straight Huskers at one point until Belfonte walked in the seventh. The right-hander, who entered the game with a 0.39 ERA, scattered seven hits in a 139-pitch performance to earn the win.

Nebraska starter Sean Yost took a shutout into the fourth before running into trouble, as Kansas State tied the score with three runs. A leadoff walk and a pair of hit batters with two outs loaded the bases before Daniel Dellasega, who entered the game after Vaughn’s ejection, drove in a pair of runs with a single to right center.  KSU then tied the game at three after Jordan Cruz scored on a wild pitch.

Yost, making his second career start, allowed just three hits and fanned six, but did not factor in the decision, as Kansas State struck for three runs in the fifth off Eric Rose (1-2) to take the lead for good. Consecutive doubles by Adam Muenster and Carter Jurica to open the fifth pushed across a run before Nick Martini’s RBI single made it a 5-3 game. Jason King then made it a 6-3 game two batters later with an RBI double.

The Wildcats (23-8, 4-4 Big 12) added to the lead in the eighth, getting an RBI single by Jurica, who went 2-for-5 and scored twice, and a two-run single by Martini, who went 3-for-4 and drove in three runs.

In the opener, the Wildcats scored all the runs they needed in the first off of Husker left-hander Jordan Roualdes (4-2), who saw his personal four-game win streak snapped. Two-run singles by Martini and Dane Yelovich highlighted the five-run first frame as KSU broke the game open with a four-run fifth to extend their lead to 10-1.

Justin Bloxon went 4-for-6 with three RBIs, while Jurica and Martini drove in two runs apiece for the Wildcats. Lance Hoge earned the win, allowing one run on five hits over six innings to improve to 4-2 on the year.

Boomer Collins and Kyle Bubak had two hits apiece, while Tyler Farst extended his hit streak to 11 games with an RBI single.

The two teams will wrap up the series Saturday afternoon at 2:05 p.m. and the game will be carried on the IMG Husker Sports Network and on Huskers.com.