Huskers Earn Series Win with 8-6 Victory

Lincoln - Freshman Chris Williams fired 2.2 innings of shutout relief, while Nebraska broke a six-all tie with a pair of runs in the bottom of the seventh and held on to defeat Texas Tech, 8-6, Saturday afternoon at Hawks Field.

Williams (1-1) had some back luck in the seventh, but regrouped over the final 2.1 innings, as he faced the minimum en route to picking up his first win. A right-hander from Omaha Westside, he fanned a career-high four hitters without a walk and allowed just one hit against the Red Raiders.

Anderson said that Williams' moxie in a tight situation could lead to bigger things next season.

"We wanted to see Chris (Williams) finish it," Anderson said. "We think that's a role he could do in the future. He's going to be bigger, faster and stronger and that will help him with his velocity in the future."

While Williams showed his poise and maturity on the mound, it was a pair of veterans who came through late for the Huskers (26-27, 9-17 Big 12). DJ Belfonte opened the Husker seventh with a leadoff walk against Scott Erzinger (0-2) before he stole second with one out and moved to third on a throwing error. Joseph Burnett then uncorked a wild pitch to score Belfonte with the go-ahead run. After a walk to Josh Scheffert, Cody Asche, who went 3-for-3 on the day, ripped a 1-2 pitch into the gap in right center to score Scheffert, giving NU a two-run lead.

"DJ (Belfonte) really changed the momentum (in the seventh)," Anderson said of the four-year starter who will make his last appearance as a Husker on Saturday. "We were able to push back after the seventh inning and am proud of how we fought back in the end."

Adam Bailey went 2-for-4 with a homer - his 18th of the season - and drove in four runs, while Patric Tolentino had two hits and a pair of RBIs, as the Huskers jumped out to leads to 4-0 and 6-3 before Texas Tech (27-26, 13-13 Big 12) clawed back into the game. The Huskers will go for the series sweep on Senior Day Sunday at 1:05 p.m. as Nebraska's six seniors will be honored prior to the game.

The Huskers took advantage early wildness by Tech starter Jay Johnson to push across two runs in each of the first two frames. In the first, a hit batter and a walk put two on before Belfonte's sacrifice moved both runners into scoring position. Bailey then made it a 2-0 game with a two-run single to center.

One inning later, a pair of walks and a sacrifice by Kurt Farmer, who also had two hits in his first start of the year, put two in scoring position for Tolentino, who cleared the bases with a two-run single to left.

Tech chipped away at the Husker lead with two runs in the third on a two-run double by Barrett Barnes made it a 4-3 game one inning later on a sacrifice fly off the bat of Nick Popescu, but NU starter Tom Lemke worked out of jams in the fourth and fifth innings, as he allowed three hits over five innings in a no-decision.

The Huskers got some breathing room one inning later on Bailey's two-run homer. With two outs, Belfonte singled and came homer as he lofted a 1-0 pitch over the fence in left for his 18th round tripper of the season.

The Red Raiders would fight back in the seventh, taking advantage of a Husker miscue to pull even at six and set up the dramatics in the bottom of the frame. Back-to-back one-out walks and an RBI single by Scott LeJune off of Jordan Roualdes made it 6-4 with runners on first and second. Williams struck out Bonham Hough for the second out before a wild pitch moved both runners into scoring position. Williams then fanned Nick Popescu, but wild pitch got away from Cory Burleson and his throw to first went into right, allowing both runners to score and tie the game. Williams then buckled down and struck out Jeremy Mayo to end the frame and avoid further damage.

The Huskers will close out the 2010 season Sunday afternoon at 1:05 p.m. Tickets are available at the Hawks Field Box office beginning at 11:30 a.m. and the game will be on Huskers.com and on the Husker Sports Network.