Baseball

Seely Leads Husker Sweep At Oklahoma

April 1, 2001

NORMAN, Okla. ----- Justin Seely went 4-for-5 with a homer and three RBI, as eighth-ranked Nebraska concluded a three-game sweep of Oklahoma, run-ruling the Sooners, 14-4, Sunday afternoon at L. Dale Mitchell Park.

The sweep, NU's first three-game sweep in Norman since 1962, improves the Huskers to 22-7 on the season and 8-2 in the Big 12, while OU drops to 10-22 overall and 5-10 in conference play.

"To come down here and play as well as we did says a lot about this team's mental toughness," Nebraska Coach Dave Van Horn said. "Justin had been swinging the bat well in BP, and earned a chance to play this week."

The Huskers pounded out 12 hits and scored in every inning but the fifth in picking up their fifth straight victory. Jeff Leise, Adam Stern and Dan Johnson had two hits apiece, while Matt Hopper drove in four runs, highlighted by a three-run double in the second.

Senior Brian Rodaway picked up the victory, going 4.2 innings and allout four runs on nine hits to improve to 2-0 on the season. The senior from Lincoln tied a season high in innings pitched and picked up three stikeouts in his first start of the season.

"We were fortunate today," Van Horn said. "Brian threw strikes and gave us a chance to field the ball, and they hit a lot of balls right at people. We jumped on them early and gave him a lead to work with and he pitched well."

Nebraska jumped out eearly, scoring two in the top of the first and four more in the second off Oklahoma starter Austin Mix. Leise led off the game with a double to left center and scored as Stern's sacrifice butn was thrown by Mix into right field. Stern move to second on the play, advanced to third on a fly out by Hopper and scored on Johnson's grounder to short.

In the second, the Huskers struck for four runs, all with two outs. Brandon Eymann singled, before Will Bolt walked and Leise was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Stern drew a bases loaded walk for the Huskers' first run before Hopper cleared the bases with a three-run double to the wall in right center, providing NU with a six-run cushion.

Oklahoma regrouped, scoring a pair in the bottom of the second off Rodaway on an RBI single by Denver Kitch and Matt Fisher's sarifice fly to center. NU added another run in the third, as Seely led off the frame with a single and eventually scored on a two-out wild pitch.

Nebraska knocked Mix out of the game in the fourth, scoring four more runs, highlighted by Seely's first home run of the season. Bolt, who walked three times, led off with a walk, moved to second on Leise's sacrifice and advanced to third on a single by Stern. Hopper drove Bolt home on a groundout before Johnson, who went 2-for-4 with a pair of RBI, singled to give NU a 9-2 advantage. Seely, who hit .588 with eight RBI and nine runs scored in four starts this week, sent a Mix offering over the fence in left for a two-run homer, the first of his NU career, giving NU an 11-2 lead.

"You have to take advantage of opportunities and be patient," Seely said. "I didn't know the homer went over the fence because they were scrambling and setting up for a relay."

OU tallied a pair of runs in the bottom of the fourth on a two-run single by Jerome Godsey, but the Huskers came right back with one in the sixth, on an Eymann sacrifice fly, and two in the seventh, on a RBI double by Stern, who went 2-for-3 with four runs scored, and a run-scoring single by Seely.

Steve Hale pitched the final 2.1 innings and struck out a pair to close out the Sooners.

Nebraska begins an 11-game home stand on Wednesday, April 4, as the Huskers play host to Creighton at 6:30 p.m.

Source: University of Nebraska Sports Information