Fusilier, who went 1-for-3 on the day, opened the sixth with a solo homer to right off OU starter Buddy Blair, as the Huskers (18-6, 6-2 Big 12) won their seventh straight and clinched the series win over the Sooners.

Fusiler�s solo shot started the Husker uprising off Blair, who allowed eight runs on 10 hits to fall to 2-4 on the season. The left-hander struck out four and allowed two homers, Fusilier�s shot in the sixth and Curtis Ledbetter�s (Lawrence, Kan.) first-inning grand slam, the first two round trippers the OU junior has allowed all season.

"I didn�t think it was a great game, but it was a great win," Nebraska Coach Mike Anderson said after the Huskers became the first Big 12 team to win a road series in conference play. "We made some mistakes, but our whole goal was to come down here and win the series. It�s great to do that anytime on the road."

NU pushed across three more runs in the sixth on an RBI double by Alex Gordon�s (Lincoln, Neb.) and two-out run-scoring singles by Daniel Bruce (Omaha, Neb.) and Jeff Leise (Omaha, Neb.).

OU whittled the lead to 8-6 on Jay Yaconetti�s two-run double in the bottom of the sixth, but Jason Burch (Papillion, Neb.) closed the door with three scoreless innings of relief for his second save of the season. Burch, who has a 1.42 ERA and 19 strikeouts in 12.2 innings this season, struck out three and retired nine of the 10 batters he faced for his second save in as many chances.

Burch�s excellence in the bullpen preserved the win for NU starter Quinton Robertson (Richland, Miss.), who improved to 5-1 on the season. Robertson allowed six runs on six hits, but struck out five and did not walk a batter.

The Huskers pounded out 11 hits, including three by John Grose (Henderson, Nev.) and two by Matt Hopper, who passed Will Bolt to become NU�s all-time hit leader. Hopper, a senior first baseman from Golden, Colo., is hitting .418 and has 282 career hits, tying former Oklahoma star Rick Park (1997-2000) for the Big 12 record in that category.

The Huskers struck quickly, scoring four runs off Blair in the first on Ledbetter�s grand slam, his fifth round tripper of the season. NU loaded the bases on a walk to Joe Simokaitis (St. Louis, Mo.), a base hit by Hopper and a two-out walk to Grose before Ledbetter deposited Blair�s first offering over the fence in right, staking NU a 4-0 lead.

Oklahoma, which has lost nine straight to fall to 11-12 overall and 0-5 in the Big 12, tied the score at 4-4 in the bottom of the third off Robertson, loading the bases with two outs before Eddie Cornejo cleared the bases with a two-out triple to right center. Cornejo then came around to score on a balk, tying the score at four, where it would remain until Fusilier�s homer began the sixth.

The series concludes Sunday afternoon with a 1:05 p.m., as the game will be carried live on the Pinnacle Sports Network and video streamed live on the Internet at HuskersNside.com. Freshman left-hander Zach Kroenke (1-1, 1.93 ERA) will start for NU, while the Sooners have not named a starter.

Source: University of Nebraska Athletic Dept.