Baseball

Huskers Use Homers to Move Into Big 12 Lead

April 7, 2001

Lincoln -- John Cole’s three-run homer in the bottom of the eighth inning lifted fifth-ranked Nebraska to a doubleheader sweep of Texas Saturday, 10-8 in 10 innings and 5-4 in front of a Buck Beltzer record crowd of 3,621 Saturday. The overflow crowd of 3,621 broke the facility record of 3,387 also set against Texas on March 28, 1999.

With the wins, the Huskers, who have won eight straight, improve to 25-7 overall and move into first place in the Big 12 standings with a 10-2 record. Texas, which had entered the day in a three-way tie for first with the Huskers and Baylor, falls to 25-14 overall and 12-5 in the league. NU sweep also end Texas’ 10-game winning streak which was the second longest in the nation.

Cole, who had not homered since Feb. 18, belted a pair of homers in the doubleheader, including a solo shot in the bottom of the ninth in the opener, tying the score at 8-all and setting the stage for Adam Stern’s walk-off homer in the bottom of the 10th. Cole, a junior from Ottawa, Ontario, went 4-for-6 with four runs scored and four RBI.

In the nightcap, the Huskers trailed 4-1 before scoring four runs in the bottom of the eighth off Texas starter and loser Albert Montes. Jeff Leise led off the inning with a double and scored on Adam Stern’s RBI single, cutting the UT lead to 4-2. With one out, Justin Seely singled, putting runners at the corners before Cole gave the Huskers the lead for good with a three-run homer to left center, his fourth of the season.

Derrick Conte (1-0) picked up the win in relief, while Thom Ott pitched a scoreless ninth for his fourth save of the year. Montes took the loss, allowing all five runs on 10 hits in dipping to 6-2 on the season.

After Texas took a 1-0 lead on Ben King’s third homer of the season, the Longhorns extended the lead to 4-0, scoring three runs off NU starter Jamie Rodrigue in the fifth. Chase Lambin’s RBI single gave UT a 3-0 lead before Sam Anderson greeted Husker reliever Steve Hale with a two-run double to the wall in right center.

After getting just three hits off Montes in the first six innings, the Huskers closed to within 4-1 in the seventh, as Jed Morris doubled with one out and eventually scored on a sacrifice fly by Brandon Eymann.

In game one, Stern's 10th inning two-run homer off Kevin Frizzell capped a wild contest, as high winds that sometimes reached close to 40 miles per hour turned an expected match-up between Husker All-American Shane Komine and Texas' Gerritt Simpson into a slugfest. The two teams combined for 18 runs and 28 hits, as NU became only the second team to score 10 or more runs on Texas in a game this season.

On the strength of a pair of Dan Johnson homers, Nebraska took a 7-5 lead into the eighth, only to see Texas score a run in the eighth and pair of runs in the ninth to take an 8-7 lead off NU closer Thom Ott. In the eighth, singles by Matt Rosenberg and Chase Lambin put runners on first and third with no outs before Rosenberg scored on Sam Anderson's grounder.

In the ninth with two outs and runners on first and second, pinch hitter Kalani Napolean doubled to left off Ott, tying the score at seven. Ryan Brooks then reached on an error by Huskers shortstop Brandon Eymann, allowing Rosenberg, who walked earlier in the inning, to cross the plate, giving UT a one-run lead. Ott picked up the win in relief, improving to 2-0 on the season.

Cole then proceeded to knot the game for the third time, sending UT reliever Brantley Jordan's first pitch over the wall in right to send the game into extra innings before Stern's fourth homer of the season with one out in the 10th ended the Longhorn win streak. Frizell took the loss, allowing two runs in 1.1 innings of relief.

Komine pitched into the eighth, allowing six runs on 10 hits, and left with a 7-5 lead, but did not factor into the decision. The Honolulu, Hawaii native struck out 11, his fourth double figure strikeout performance of the season and didn't allow a walk, but hit a pair of batters, including one with the bases loaded in the sixth.

Johnson continued his offensive barrage, going 2-for-4 with a pair of homers, a two-run shot in the first and a solo blast in the seventh, and now has 13 on the season, including four in the past three games. Johnson's two-run shot game NU a 2-0 lead, only to see Texas come back with four in the second, highlighted by RBI doubles by Jeff Ontiveros and Ryan Hubele.

NU tallied single runs in the second and third before regaining the lead at 5-4 in the fifth on an RBI double by Jed Morris. UT tied the score at five in the top of the seventh before Johnson's second round tripper of the day gave the Huskers a 6-5 lead. NU tacked on another run, loading the bases on consecutive singles by Morris, Cole and pinch hitter Willie Jones before Eymann's sacrifice fly to center plated Morris.

The Huskers conclude the three-game series on Sunday at noon.

Source: University of Nebraska Sports Information