Corpus Christi, Texas - Playing two games in one day did little slow the Nebraska baseball team, as the Huskers improved to 3-3 on the year with a 7-1 win over Texas A&M-Corpus Christi after beating Utah, 15-0, earlier on Saturday at Whataburger Field. Now 3-0 at the Kleberg Bank College Classic, the NU offense has plated 27 runs on 44 hits over the past two days.
Richard Stock continued to hit for power from the left side of the plate with his third double of the weekend. Stock was 3-for-5 in the game with a team high two runs, while Kale Kiser, Rich Sanguinetti, Kurt Farmer and Josh Scheffert each had two hits. The bottom of the Husker order did its part, as the 6-7-8-9 hitters account for all four of NU's RBIs and scored three runs.
In his first start of the season, junior Tom Lemke gave up five hits and struck out four over 3.2 innings of work. Lemke, who was on a pitch count entering the game, was relieved by Tyler Niederklein, who was even tougher on the Islander batters. The junior right hander pitched 3.1 innings of perfect baseball before giving the ball to Luke Bublitz in the eighth and Brandon Pierce in the ninth.
Lemke faced adversity right out of the gate, as the Islanders had the bases loaded with one out in the first. After striking out Jeramie Marek to start the inning, the next three Islander hitters reached on a pair of singles and a Husker error. Lemke bucked down to get a pop out and a strikeout looking to end the inning.
Nebraska carried the momentum that Lemke started into the top of the second, where they plated three runs. NU got four singles in the inning from Stock, Farmer, Scheffert and Kiser, while Cory Burleson picked up an RBI on a groundout and Bryan Peters notched his second RBI of the weekend from the nine hole with a sacrifice fly.
Stock got the offense going again in the fifth with a one-out double. Farmer was up next and roped his second single of the game to drive in Stock to increase Nebraska's lead to 4-0. NU would cross the plate three more times in the seventh, as they took advantage of three Islander errors. Stock produced his third hit of the game in the inning and Scheffert wrapped a two-out RBI single to drive in Burleson.
The Islanders finally cracked the Husker pitching staff in the top of the eight with three straight one-out singles. The run broke the staff's 19-inning scoreless streak.
Now 3-0 on the weekend after a pair of wins today, the Huskers will look to move above .500 on the season when they meet UNLV tomorrow at 11 a.m. It will be a showdown between freshmen pitchers, as Nebraska will send lefty Kyle Kubat to the mound and UNLV will counter with righty Erick Fedde.