Whites Take Finale with 5-4 Win

Lincoln ? The White team scratched across single runs in the seventh and ninth innings to pull out a 5-4 victory in the final day of the Red/White Series at Hawks Field Monday afternoon.

Trailing 4-3, the Whites used a two-out rally against reliever Matt Freeman to knot the score. After an infield single by Pat Hirschberg, Luke Bublitz kept the rally alive with a single to left. John Mulgrue then reached on a fielder’s choice, as the throw to get Bublitz at second went wide of the bag to tie the score.

The rally spoiled a great relief performance from Freeman, who allowed two runs on four hits over 5.2 innings in a no-decision. The junior fanned seven and walked one to continue an impressive fall campaign.

It was the bottom of the lineup that came up big again in the ninth inning off of freshman Kurt Giller, who took the loss in  relief.

Hirschberg coaxed a leadoff walk and stole second before Bublitz laid down a perfect sacrifice to get Hirschberg to third. With the infield playing in to get the runner at the plate, Mulgrue hit a ball to Kale Kiser at second, but his throw home was wide of home, allowing Hirschberg to slide in with the go-ahead run.

That was more than enough for the White bullpen, as Mike Nesseth set the Reds down in order in the ninth. The junior right-hander tossed 2.1 innings of no-hit relief for the win, as he allowed only two balls out of the infield.

The White bullpen was stout in salvaging the final game of the three-game series, as Michael Mariot and Nesseth combined to allow one run over 5.2 innings of relief.

Cody Asche was the only White starter with two hits, going 2-for-5 on the day, while Hirschberg and Boomer Collins score twice apiece.

The Whites jumped out to an early 2-0 lead, getting a two-out RBI double from Asche in the first before DJ Belfonte’s second homer of the series in the third made it a two-run lead.

The Reds would fight back, getting one of the runs back in the third, as Farst opened the frame with a double and eventually scored on a fielder’s choice from Kiser.

In the fourth, the Reds broke the game open, scoring three times, including an RBI double from Josh Scheffert and run-scoring singles from Farst and Kiser. Farst finished the day going 2-for-4 with an RBI and two runs scored, while Kiser had two hits and two RBIs.

Patric Tolentino continued to swing a hot bat for the Reds, getting three hits on Monday and finishing the three-game series with a team-best .417 average.

The Huskers will wrap up fall drills this week and begin preparations for the 2010 season, which begins on Friday, Feb. 19, as the Huskers will open a four-game series at Fresno State. A complete schedule will be announced in the coming days.