Baseball

Rodrigue Shuts Out Kansas State

Manhattan, Kan. -- Freshman Jamie Rodrigue tossed a two-hit shutout, and the Husker bats came to life as Nebraska run-ruled Kansas State, 16-0, in seven innings in Manhattan, Kan., Saturday.

Rodrigue, 3-1, faced just 22 batters in the game, one more than the minimum, and struck out eight as Nebraska played its best all-around game of the season. Rodrigue has given up just four hits in his last 13 innings of work.

Offensively, Jamal Strong paced the Huskers, going 5-for-5 at the plate, scoring three runs and finishing with two RBI and two stolen bases. Senior Justin Cowan responded with a 2-for-5 performance, hitting two doubles and driving in five RBI.

"Our hitting was much better today," Head Coach Dave Van Horn said. "We did a good job at making the pitchers throw strikes and we had big hits, which we've been lacking. We kept chipping away until we had the big inning. We've got a good hitting team, they just need a little confidence.

"It's outstanding to see a young pitcher that controlled and poised," Van Horn said. "He hit his spots and took a business-like approach to the game."

Nebraska, which had baserunners in every inning, scored first in the second inning when Brandt Vlieger singled to score John Cole. Strong led off the third with a single and stole second and third base before scoring on a wild pitch. Dan Johnson scored another run in the inning after drawing a walk. Nebraska built a 5-0 lead in the fourth off a two-RBI double from Justin Cowan that laced the left field line, driving in Strong and Will Bolt.

NU's biggest inning came in the sixth, scoring nine runs as 13 Huskers batted in the inning. KSU's pitching staff fell apart in the inning, walking five, hitting two batters and throwing one wild pitch. Cowan did the most damage in the inning, hitting his second double of the game down the right field line with the bases loaded to drive in three runs.

The Huskers, 9-6 overall, 2-3 in the Big 12, will try to win the series on Sunday at 2 p.m. KSU fell to 5-11 overall and 1-7 in the Big 12.