Lincoln – DJ Belfonte and Adam Bailey both homered in a three-run first inning, as Nebraska erupted for 10 runs and 16 hits in a 10-4 victory over Baylor Friday night.

Belfonte belted Nebraska’s first leadoff homer in 379 games and made a sensational diving catch in center in the sixth inning, while Bailey keyed the Husker offense with a career-high four hits, including his third homer in as many games, and drove in three runs.

It proved to be the Huskers night early on, as Belfonte opened the bottom of the first with a solo homer to right center, marking the first leadoff homer by a Husker since April of 2003. NU struck early,  as four of the first five hitters had base hits against Baylor starter and loser Kendal Volz (3-6).

“I thought he played exceptionally well,” Anderson said of Belfonte. “You get off to a good start that way with a swing and hopefully it motivates you a little bit for the night.  I thought he played very, very well the whole night.”

 Bailey made it 2-0 later in the first with his 12th homer of the year before Tyler Farst singled, moved to third on a Nick Sullivan double and scored on Cody Asche’s grounder to second.

Farst went 3-for-4 and scored twice while Sullivan continued his torrid hitting with two doubles and a pair of RBIs, as Nebraska’s (23-28-1, 6-19 Big 12) 16 hits were its second-best total of the season.

The offense was more than enough for Husker right-hander Mike Nesseth (5-4), as he scattered seven hits and fanned eight over seven innings to earn his second straight win.

Baylor (27-21, 10-14 Big 12) got two of the runs back in the second, as two straight singles and a one-out walk loaded the bases before a passed ball and a RBI grounder by Raynor Campbell made it a one-run game.

Nebraska quickly extended the lead back to three runs in the third, as a leadoff double by Bailey and a Farst single put runners on second and third. Sullivan then cleared the bases with a double to left center, making it a 5-2 game.

One inning later, the Huskers chased Volz with two more runs, as Mort singled with two outs and scored from first on Bailey’s second double of the evening before coming home on Farst’s RBI single. Volz allowed seven runs on 12 hits in just 3.2 innings of work to take the loss, as the Bears dropped their eighth straight Big 12 game.

Baylor pulled to within 7-4 in the fourth, getting an RBI single from Joey Hainsfurther and scoring another run on a wild pitch. The Bears eventually had runners at second and third with one out, but Nesseth got Aaron Miller and Dan Evatt to fly out to end the Bears’ best opportunity.

The Huskers salted the game away in the eighth, scoring three times on a two-run single by Jake Mort and a run-scoring single by Bailey, his fourth hit of the game, to plate Mort from first. Casey Hauptman worked two scoreless innings to collect his first save.

The Huskers and Bears resume the series Saturday afternoon at 2:05 p.m., as the game will be carried on the Husker Sports Network and televised statewide on NET.