The Nebraska baseball team welcomes a College World Series qualifier from last season to Hawks Field today for the start of a four-game series. The California Golden Bears come to Lincoln ranked 21st in the country with a 9-2 record. The Huskers are 8-4 and have won eight of their last nine games, including four in a row. The series opens with today’s first game at 1:35. Zach Hirsch gets the start on the mound for the Big Red, opposing Cal’s Justin Jones.
The Colorado Rockies were shutout 5-0 by the Kansas City Royals in a Cactus League home game yesterday. Rockies starting pitcher Drew Pomeranz worked three scoreless innings, recording three strikeouts. The Rockies have lost three straight spring training contests. They face the Oakland Athletics this afternoon.
The Tri-City Storm take the ice tonight in Omaha for their lone game of the weekend, facing off with the Lancers for the third time in eight days. The Storm lost to the Lancers 6-1 in Kearney last Friday, but turned the tables in a 4-3 win in Omaha on Sunday. Tri-City enters the weekend a point ahead in the race for the sixth and final playoff spot in the USHL’s Western Conference. The puck drops at the Civic Auditorium at 7:05.
The St. Patrick’s Irish are back to state for the second straight season, and are the third seed in the Class C2 state tournament. Last season, in what was their first trip to state in six years, the Irish defeated Arapahoe in overtime in their first-round contest before falling to Fremont Archbishop Bergan and Ravenna to finish fourth at state. The 20-5 Irish, who knocked off Alma and Southern Valley in subdistrict action before beating Perkins County in the C2-6 district championship game, will strive to make a return to the state semifinals tonight, when they face Ponca in first round action at Lincoln Northeast High School. The sixth-seed Indians are 22-3 on the campaign. ESPN Radio 1410 will have the action live tonight. Pregame coverage begins at 8:30, with tip-off scheduled for 8:45.
#8 NORTH PLATTE ST. PATRICK’S IRISH (20-5) – third seed
>> Coach: William O’Malley
>> Scoring averages: 56.1-44.6
Player, Ht., Yr., Pts., Reb.
Andrew Vinton, 6-0, Sr., 15.0, 6.0
Joseph Clinch, 6-1, Jr., 11.1, 8.5
James Keenan, 6-0, Jr., 10.3, 3.6
Matthew Jensen, 5-10, Sr., 6.2, 4.2
Mark Mayfield, 6-2, So., 5.8, 3.8
>> Tournament history: Repeat qualifier is making 10th appearance. Won Class D in 1928.
#4 PONCA INDIANS (22-3) – sixth seed
>> Coach: Bob Hayes
>> Scoring averages: 54.8-38.8
Player, Ht., Yr., Pts., Reb.
Trenton Peterson, 6-5, Sr., 15.8, 4.0
Seth O’Neill, 6-5, Sr., 9.9, 7.6
Jesse Walsh, 5-10, Sr., 6.1, 1.7
Patrick Watchorn, 5-9, Jr., 4.8, 1.7
Shane Husen, 6-2, Sr., 4.6, 2.3
>> Tournament history: First appearance since 2008 and 14th overall. Won Class C-2 in ‘07 and was runner-up in ‘00.
The Hershey Panthers boys basketball team is making their first trip to state since 1994. They’re the seventh seed in the Class C1 state tournament. This morning, the 17-5 Panthers take on the 22-1 Minden Whippets. Q-Country 107.3 has the action live, with pregame coverage starting at 8:45 AM leading to the tipoff at 9 AM.
#10 HERSHEY PANTHERS (17-5) – seventh seed
>> Coach: Dustin Jorgenson>> Scoring averages: 49.8-43.1
Player, Ht., Yr., Pts., Reb.
James Moore, 6-0, Sr., 12.3, 5.7
Bryson Hellmuth, 6-1, Sr., 11.8, 6.3
Jordan Hiatt, 6-1, Sr., 10.8, 6.0
Wesley Layton, 6-3, Sr., 9.0, 5.1
Dylan Johnson, 6-3, Jr., 5.3, 3.1
>> Tournament history: First appearance since 1994 and ninth overall. Won C-1 in ‘93 and was runner-up in ‘94.
#2 MINDEN WHIPPETS (22-1) – second seed
>> Coach: Shannon Lovin
>> Scoring averages: 62.7-39.0
Player, Ht., Yr., Pts., Reb.
Carson Blum, 6-0, Sr., 17.4, 6.6
Derek Kissinger, 6-1, Sr., 13.7, 5.2
Christian Schwenka, 6-4, Sr., 9.1, 6.4
R.J. Watson, 5-11, Jr., 6.6, 1.7
Thomas Sinsel, 5-9, Sr., 4.6, 1.9
>> Tournament history: Last year’s runner-up is making fifth consecutive appearance and 31st overall. Finals record: 5-5, last title Class B in 1958.
The Nebraska baseball team made it four consecutive wins and eight wins in their last nine games with a 4-1 defeat of Nebraska-Kearney yesterday afternoon at Hawks Field in Lincoln. Kale Kiser sparked the offense with a solo home run in the sixth inning that started a three-run frame that provided the winning margin for the Husker. It was Kiser’s second homer in as many games. Richard Stock, Austin Darby, and Chad Christensen also drove in runs for the Big Red. Five Husker hurlers combined to allow just one run on five hits. Dexter Spitsnogle worked the first three innings, and Ryan Hander worked innings four through six to earn the first win of his Husker career. Luke Bublitz worked a clean ninth for the save. The Huskers move to 8-4 with the win. They host California for a four-game series starting Friday.
The Colorado Rockies lost to the San Francisco Giants 8-6 in Cactus League action in Scottsdale, Arizona yesterday. The Rockies offense pummeled Giants starting pitcher Tim Lincecum, touching up the two-time Cy Young Award winner for five runs on seven hits in the first two innings. Carlos Gonzalez, Troy Tulowitzki, and Michael Cuddyer each had two hits, with the latter driving in three runs. Charlie Blackmon hit a solo home run to lead off the game. On the mound for the Rockies, starting pitcher Jeremy Guthrie allowed two runs on five hits in his two innings of work. Forty-nine year old lefty Jamie Moyer, bidding to continue his career, pitched two scoreless innings in relief. The Rockies drop to 1-2-1 in Cactus League play. They face the Kansas City Royals this afternoon.
The Nebraska baseball team made it 34 consecutive home opener victories with a 9-6 defeat of Kansas State at Hawks Field yesterday afternoon. The Big Red used big sticks to score four runs in the third inning and four more in the fifth, erasing an early 2-0 deficit. Kale Kiser’s two-run home run, his first of the season, was the big blow in the third. That shot tied the game, and Chad Christensen’s two-run single later in the frame gave the Huskers the lead for good. In the fifth, Christensen and Kurt Farmer had RBI hits, while Josh Scheffert drove in a pair with a single. Bryan Peters drove in Nebraska’s final run in the eighth. Tyler Niederklein earned the win on the mound, and Travis Huber worked a perfect ninth for the save. The Huskers move to 7-4 on the season. They host Nebraska-Kearney today at 1:35.
With the start of spring practice just four days away, Nebraska head football coach Bo Pelini met with members of the media yesterday and spoke on several subjects. Pelini addressed injured players, position changes, and even the increasing possibility of a college football playoff, which he does not currently favor. “There is a lot of theory and theoretical things,” Pelini said. “I could end up on the moon tomorrow. That’s probably not going to happen. Let’s get something that is workable and every proposal that has been put out there has reprocussions.” The Huskers hold a Pro Day for their outgoing NFL prospects on Thursday, and then open up the spring with their first practice on Saturday.
The Colorado Rockies were drubbed by the Chicago Cubs 11-4 in Cactus League action in Mesa, Arizona yesterday. Alfonzo Soriano’s two home runs and top prospect Brett Jackson’s three-run homer sparked the Cubs to the victory. The Rockies were led offensively by outfielder Tyler Colvin, who came over from the Cubs in a trade this winter. He had a pair of hits, including a triple, drove in a run and scored a run. Jordan Pacheco also had two hits, and Dexter Fowler blasted a solo home run. On the mound, newly-acquired starter Guillermo Moscoso allowed four runs on five hits in his two innings of work. Alex White, another rotation candidate, allowed a run in two relief innings, striking out two. The Rockies take on the San Francisco Giants in a road game in Scottsdale this afternoon.
