Bullock Pitches NU past Creighton

LINCOLN -- A couple of long innings in the dugout on a cold night didn't hurt Nebraska pitcher Trevor Bullock.

Bullock, making just his second start of the season, looked warm through seven innings despite temperatures that dropped into the 40s as the Cornhuskers beat Creighton 6-3 on Tuesday. He came out firing after long rallies in the fourth and fifth innings and helped hold Creighton to just two baserunners over the final five innings.

"We usually wait around until there's one out and start playing catch so it's not that big a deal," Bullock said. "I'd rather have those longer innings because it means we're scoring runs."

Bullock (3-0), who has appeared six times in relief, looked comfortable as a starter. He allowed three runs on five hits, struck out four and walked one. A 6-2 cushion generated by three-run rallies in the fourth and fifth innings helped, much to Bullock's surprise.

"Actually, I tend to pitch better when we don't have much of a lead," Bullock said. "Sometimes, when you get those long innings and those runs scored you go out there and get a little lackadaisical thinking you're going to ride the rest of the game."

Thom Ott allowed just one baserunner in the final two innings for his second save of the season for the Cornhuskers (23-11), who improved to 5-2 in April.

Nebraska left the bases loaded twice and stranded 10 runners in the game, but was able to take advantage of seven walks, two hit batters and two wild pitches by Creighton (26-8).

"We knew if we could come in and throw strikes we'd have a chance to win this ballgame," Creighton coach Jack Dahm said. "When you walk guys and we get those passed balls, that's going to shoot yourself in the foot."

It was the Huskers' second win in as many games against the Bluejays, who are the only other NCAA Division I team in the state. Nebraska won at Creighton 9-5 on March 21. The two meet a final time May 10 at Omaha's Rosenblatt Stadium.

Todd Hinrichs led Creighton, going 2-for-4 and stealing home in the Jays' two-run second inning that gave them a 2-0 lead.

Freshman reliever Joe Humay got a rare start because of injuries to Creighton's pitching staff and didn't allow a hit through three innings, which was as long as he was scheduled to go. Creighton let Humay start the fourth and he gave up a leadoff double to Matt Hopper.

Keith Hood (1-1) came on in relief and John Cole hit a double on the first pitch to drive in the Huskers' first run. Cole stole third and scored on a sacrifice by Josh Hesse to tie it at 2-all and Jamal Strong blooped an RBI single to give the Huskers' a 3-2 lead.

Hood faced nine batters in one inning of relief.

In the fifth, Nebraska loaded the bases with nobody out on two walks and a hit batter. Matt Hopper scored on a wild pitch by Michael Pietro and Adam Stern, who was still recovering from an outfield collision to end the top half of the inning, lined a two-out double that scored Cole and Will Bolt.

Stern, Nebraska's right fielder, had the wind knocked out of him in the top of the fifth when he and Strong collided while going for a fly ball in right-center. Stern held on to the ball and managed to lift his glove to signal the third out as he lay on the field and tried to catch his breath.

Creighton second baseman Vince Pietro improved his hitting streak to 18 games with a double in the third.