May 15, 2009
Box Score
LINCOLN, Neb. - Adam Bailey was 4-for-5 with a home run and three RBI as Nebraska defeated Baylor 10-4 in Friday night's Big 12 Conference series opener at Haymarket Park. Baylor (27-21, 10-14) has lost eight consecutive Big 12 games since defeating Oklahoma State in the series opener April 17. Nebraska (23-28-1, 6-19) snapped a five-game conference skid with the win.
Despite the loss, Baylor qualified for next week's Big 12 Championship by virtue of Oklahoma State's 9-8 loss at Texas Tech. Baylor joins Oklahoma as the only programs to qualify for the conference's postseason event each season in the league's 13-year existence.
Bailey's homer was the second solo shot of the first inning and came with one out. Baylor starter Kendal Volz fell behind leadoff batter DJ Belfonte 3-0, got a strike over, and then surrendered a line-drive homer to right-center. It was Nebraska's first leadoff homer since the 2003 season. After Bailey's homer, Tyler Farst singled, moved to third on Nick Sullivan's double and scored on Cody Asche's RBI groundout.
Baylor answered with two runs on two hits in the top of the second. Dan Evatt opened the inning with a single and later scored on a bases-loaded passed ball. Ben Booker, who followed Evatt's leadoff hit with a single of his own, scored on Raynor Campbell's RBI groundout.
However, that was as close as the Bears would get. Nebraska scored two runs on four hits in the third and added another two spot in the fourth to push its lead to 7-2. Baylor closed to within three with a pair of runs in the fifth but missed a golden opportunity to get closer. Joey Hainsfurther delivered an RBI single, and Dustin Dickerson scored on a one-out, bases-loaded wild pitch. However, Nebraska starter Mike Nesseth struck out Shaver Hansen and got Aaron Miller to foul out to end the inning.
Baylor was held scoreless the rest of the way. Nebraska added three insurance runs in the bottom of the eighth, capped Bailey's RBI single.
Nesseth (5-4) earned the victory, allowing four runs - three earned - on seven hits and four walks with eight strikeouts over 7.0 innings.
Volz (3-6) took the loss, allowing a career-high 12 hits. He surrendered seven runs over 3.2 innings with no walks and one strikeout.
Hainsfurther, Dustin Dickerson and Ben Booker all had two-hit nights for the Bears. Hainsfurther also walked twice.
Nebraska was 5-for-13 with two outs, while the Bears were hitless in seven two-out at bats. The Huskers' three-through-five batters were 9-for-14 with six RBI and seven runs, while the Bears three-through-five batters were 1-for-12 with five strikeouts and no RBI.
Baylor and Nebraska continue the series Saturday with a 2:05 p.m. CDT first pitch. The Bears send right-hander Willie Kempf (4-3, 5.62 ERA) to the mound. The Huskers counter with right-hander Sean Yost (1-5, 7.19 ERA).
NOTES: Baylor leads the all-time series 30-23-1; however, the Bears are 7-11 all-time at Lincoln. €¦ Evatt extended his career-long hitting streak to 10 games. He is the third Baylor player with a hitting streak of 10-plus games this season. €¦ Dickerson (eight games), Hainsfurther (four games) and Campbell (three games) all extended hitting streaks.
