Kansas @ NU Series

E

Eric the Red

Team HuskerBoard
No. 2 Huskers Open Big 12 Slate with Kansas

Nebraska 2006 Record (15-2, 0-0 Big 12)

National Rankings: 2 (CB) • 8 (BA) • 4 (Sports Weekly) • 3 (NCBWA)

Pitching Probables

Sat.-1 Joba Chamberlain, Jr., RHP (2-1, 1.29 ERA, 21 IP)

Sean Land, Jr., LHP (4-3, 3.82 ERA, 37.2 IP)

Sat.-2 Tony Watson, So., LHP (3-0, 1.78 ERA, 30.1 IP)

Ricky Fairchild, Sr., RHP (4-1, 4.31 ERA, 39.2 IP)

Sun. Johnny Dorn, So., RHP (3-1, 3.33 ERA, 24.1 IP)

Kodiak Quick, Sr., RHP (3-2, 1.96 ERA, 46.0 IP)

No. 2 Huskers Open Big 12 Slate with Kansas

The Nebraska baseball team begins defense of its Big 12 title this weekend, as the Huskers welcome Kansas into Hawks Field at Haymarket Park. The three-game series was scheduled to begin Friday evening, but the series has been adjusted because of the weather in the Midwest earlier this week. The series will now consist of a doubleheader Saturday at 12:05 p.m. with a single-game on Sunday at 1:05 p.m.

Fans who have tickets to Saturday’s game will be able to use those tickets for the twinbill, while fans who had purchased tickets for Friday’s contest will be able to use those tickets for general admission seating for any of the remaining regular-season home games, based on seating availability.

The Kansas series will be carried across the state on the 19-station Pinnacle Sports Network, including KFAB 1110 AM (Omaha), KLIN 1400 AM (Lincoln) and KRVN 880 AM (Lexington) and on the Internet at Huskers.com as a school-record 49 regular-season games will be carried on the network during the 2006 season.

Saturday’s series opener against the Jayhawks will be the first of six regular-season televised games (Cox Cable Ch. 2 in Omaha, Time Warner Cable Ch. 77 in Lincoln) with Greg Sharpe, Paul Meyers and Damon Benning calling all of the action. In addition, fans will be able to watch all three games on the Internet on HuskersNside.com

The Huskers enter Big 12 play on a roll with 11 straight wins and have not lost since a 3-2 setback to Rice in Houston on Feb. 25. Since then, NU has posted a staff ERA of 1.48, despite having the services of All-American Joba Chamberlain for just one start in that stretch. Nebraska has climbed to as high as No. 2 in this week’s national polls, while its No. 2 ranking by Collegiate Baseball is the highest that NU has ever been ranked in that publication (NU was ranked No. 1 by Baseball America for three weeks in 2001).

Saturday’s Big 12 opener will also mark the return of Chamberlain, who has not pitched in NU’s last two series. He missed his start against Alabama with tightness in his tricep and was held out of last Friday’s start because of the weather. Chamberlain, who is 2-1 with a 1.29 ERA, last pitched against Notre Dame on March 3, holding the Fighting Irish scoreless with 11 strikeouts in an 11-1 Husker win.

Nebraska runs into a battle-tested Kansas team this weekend, as the Jayhawks are 16-8 overall and 1-2 in the Big 12 after dropping 2-of-3 games at No. 18 Baylor over the weekend. KU, which also had a mid-week game at Creighton canceled because of weather, has played 11 games against ranked teams, including a series win at then-No. 8 Stanford in February. The Jayhawks also nearly won a series at then No. 2 Clemson two weeks ago.

 
They seem like a dangerous team but our pitching is far superior. I could see them maybe taking one game but i expect the huskers to win 2, possibly 3 of these games.

 
So if I read correctly, it will be the FIRST game of the doubleheader that will be televised? It hasn't come up yet on my cable programming guide. :wacko:

 
So if I read correctly, it will be the FIRST game of the doubleheader that will be televised? It hasn't come up yet on my cable programming guide. :wacko:
Click to expand...
OK...Time Warner has NO game scheduled for today on Channel 77.

Any help here? :thumbs

Heck, maybe I'll just call them. They're practically on my speed dial anyway :wacko:

 
Two very solid games in my opinion. It's a good sign that guys like Buckman and Wehrle are stepping up. The pitching was amazing in both games and I think the pitching staff will carry this team to a great season.

 
In case anyone cared, Time Warner's pickup of the game was a no-show. Had a message that said Technical difficulties, game will resume shortly.

Only it never did. :steam

Not encouraging for the rest of the season.

Wonder if Cox's broadcast worked?

 
Huskers sweep Kansas

By: Wire Reports

Date: Mar 25, 2006

Lincoln – No. 2 Nebraska used a combination of potent offense and strong pitching to post a doubleheader sweep of Kansas Saturday afternoon at Hawks Field, winning the opener, 9-2, before securing a 4-1 win in the nightcap.

In the opener, Nebraska (17-2, 2-0 Big 12) used a first-inning grand slam by Luke Gorsett and used four-hit days from Bryce Nimmo and Brandon Buckman while pounding out 16 hits. Gorsett’s four RBIs were as a career high, as were the four-hit days by both Nimmo and Buckman.

In game two, Tony Watson and Brett Jensen combined on a three-hitter, as the Huskers scored twice in the seventh to break a 1-1 deadlock to clinch the season series with the Jayhawks (16-10, 1-4 Big 12) for the eighth straight year. Watson improved to 4-0, as he fanned a career-high 10 Jayhawks over seven innings, while Jensen retired all six hitters he faced for his fourth save.

“There were lots of highs today,” Nebraska Coach Mike Anderson said. “I was really encouraged that we started out strong, and we finished strong. We had great defense all day long and played good fundamental baseball.”

The Huskers, who have won 13 straight games and 21 straight at Hawks Field dating back to last May, will go for the sweep in the series finale Sunday at 1:05 p.m.

Nebraska, which had not played since March 17, wasted little time shaking off the rust in the opener, scoring six runs in the first off Jayhawk starter Sean Land, who didn’t get out of the second and took the loss to fall to 4-4 on the years.

“I’m excited for our kids obviously,” Anderson said. “We were anxious to just start playing again. We have have been indoors for eight straight days, so it was one of those things where we wanted to get going.”

Two hits and a walk loaded the bases for Gorsett, who launched a 3-2 pitch into the Jayhawk bullpen for his Big 12-leading ninth homer of the year. The shot was the first grand slam by a Husker since the 2004 season. NU continued the assault with RBI singles from Jeff Christy and Nimmo, giving NU starter Joba Chamberlain all the offensive support he would need.

Chamberlain, making his first appearance since March 3, was efficient, allowing one run on five hits over 6.1 innings to earn his third win in four starts. The All-American retired the first 11 Jayhawks he faced and didn’t allow a run until John Allman’s solo homer to lead off the fifth, after he was staked to a seven-run lead

The Huskers pushed the lead to 9-1, putting up single runs in the fifth and sixth innings. In the fifth, Jake Opitz walked, stole second and eventually scored on Nick Jaros’ ground out before Opitz added and RBI single one inning later.

The opening was a little rockier for Watson in the nightcap, as the left-hander walked two and allowed a single to load the bases just three batters into the contest. He got out of the jam with minimal damage, allowing a sacrifice fly to Gus Milner to spot the visitors a 1-0 lead.

NU would get back the run in the bottom of the frame, as Nimmo opened the frame with a double and eventually scored on Brandon Buckman’s grounder to second.

Watson and KU starter Ricky Fairchild kept both offenses at bay until the seventh, when the Huskers strung together some hits for a key rally. Watson (4-0) allowed just three hits and retired the final 12 hitters he faced as his seven innings matched the longest outing of his career.

In the seventh, Steve Edlefsen was hit by a pitch to open the inning before a fielder’s choice put Nimmo on first with one out. The Husker center fielder then stole second and advanced to third on a throwing error by Dylan Parzyk. Ryan Wehle, who went 2-for-4 in the nightcap, then sent Fairchild’s 2-1 pitch into center, scoring Nimmo with the go-ahead run. Wehrle then stole second and scored on Brandon Buckman’s RBI single off KU closer Don Czyz to make it 3-1.

NU tacked on an insurance run in the eighth, as Edlefsen’s RBI double to the wall in left center scored Jeff Christy

 
That's what happens when you leave 12 men on base. I went to all 3 games, and we didn't play bad, we just didn't plate the men when we needed to. 7-6 is a tough way to lose, but we had a great series overall.

 
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