Lincoln - A seven-run fourth
inning powered the Nebraska baseball team (15-7, 0-0 Big Ten) to a 12-3 win
over the Northern Colorado Bears on Tuesday night at Hawks Field. The Huskers produced
13 hits on the night to notch double-digit hits for the sixth straight game.
Kash
Kalkowski led the Huskers with a season high three hits and tied his career
high in RBI's with four, as the junior roped two singles and belted a home run
onto the center field berm to lead off the fourth inning for his first home run
since the opening game of the season. Rich Sanguinetti added two hits and two
runs, while Kale Kiser and Pat Kelly each drove in a pair of runs.
Freshman
Kyle Kubat picked up his first win as a Husker in his third career start over 3.0
innings of work. The Creighton Prep product gave up one run on three hits,
while striking out one. Junior Ryan Hander added two innings of perfect
baseball, while Brandon Pierce and Tyler King combined to pitch the final four
innings of the game.
After
Kubat retired the Bears in order to start the game, the Husker offense gave the
freshman a 2-0 lead to work with. Sanguinetti laced a single into center and
stole second to get into scoring position before Chad Christensen walked to
give NU runners at first and second with one out. Josh Scheffert then hit a
hard grounder to second, but with a hit-and-run on, Sanguinetti moved to third
and Christensen to second. That set the table for Kalkowski to pick up his
first two RBI's of the night on a two-out single to right field.
Kubat
retired the first six Bears he faced, but got into some trouble in the top of
the third following a leadoff single by Harrison Lambert. After a strikeout and
another single, Lambert scored to cut the NU lead to 2-1 on a fielder choice.
With two out, Kubat loaded the bases with back-to-back walks, but got out of
the inning on a diving stop by Kurt Farmer at third base to end the inning.
Hanging
onto a one-run lead going into the bottom of the fourth, the Huskers pulled
away from the Bears with seven runs on five hits. After Kalkowski led off the
inning with a homer, Austin Darby followed with a double, Farmer walked, Sam
Stucky singled and Pat Kelly doubled with the based loaded to put the Huskers
up 5-1 with no outs and runners on second and third. The inning then got longer
for the Bears when Ryan Yamane committed an error on a grounder from Michael
Pritchard that allowed both Stucky and Kelly to score. Kalkowski added another
RBI later in the inning after Christensen was hit-by-pitch and Scheffert
doubled.
The
Huskers added three runs in the bottom of the eighth off a sacrifice fly from
Richard Stock and a two-out pinch-hit two-RBI ground-rule double by Kiser.
Nebraska
will go for the two-game sweep tomorrow with sophomore lefty Zach Hirsch on the
mound. Northern Colorado has not announced their starter.
Due
to impending weather, tomorrow's start time has been moved up from 1:35 p.m. to
12:05 p.m.
