Komine Leads Huskers to 9-0 Win Over Kansas

Lawrence, Kan. - All-America right-hander Shane Komine struck out 10 batters in eight innings of work, as Nebraska improved to 33-8 on the season with a 9-0 victory over Kansas in front of a crowd of 1,251 at Hoglund Ballpark Friday evening.

Komine, a 5-10, 175-pounder from Honolulu, scattered seven hits and walked only one to improve to 9-1 on the season. He did not allow a fly ball out, getting 11 ground ball outs, as he improved to 5-0 in league play. Komine's 10 strikeouts against the Jayhawks marked the fourth consecutive outing, and sixth time this season, he struck out 10 or more batters in a game.

"The main thing was to get a good start and pitch the way I can pitch." Komine said. "Their main focus was to get a lot of line drives and grounders and that was what I was able to do tonight."

"Shane threw a lot of strike and we fielded well behind him tonight," Nebraska Coach Dave Van Horn said of the Husker defense, which turned a pair of double plays to thwart Jayhawk rallies in the fourth and fifth innings, as KU dropped to 16-25 overall and 4-18 in the league.

The Huskers, who improved to 33-8 on the season and 14-3 in the Big 12, jumped on Kansas early, scoring five runs in the first three innings of KU starter Justin Wilcher, who allowed five runs on eight hits in two innings to fall to 1-8 on the year.

In the first, the Huskers used two-out RBI singles by John Cole and Jeff Blevins to jump to a 2-0 lead. With two outs and Will Bolt on first, Dan Johnson reached on a hit by pitch, putting runners on first and second. Cole, who has been hitting .475 over the last 14 games, took an 0-2 pitch and drove the pitch into right center, scoring Bolt with the Huskers' first run. Blevins added to the margin one pitch later with a single to right for NU's second tally of the inning.

Nebraska scored another two-out run in the second on Adam Stern's RBI bunt single. Jeff Leise tripled to right center and scored on Stern's slow roller down the third base line. Stern stole both second and third, but could not score as Matt Hopper flew out to right to end the threat.

In the third, the Huskers knocked Wilcher out of the game, as the first four Huskers all reach base. Consecutive hits by Johnson and Cole put runners on first and third before back-to-back walks to Blevins and Jed Morris plated the Huskers fourth run and chased the Jayhawk starter after two innings. The Huskers tacked on another run later in the inning on Bolt's sacrifice fly to left, scoring Cole from third.

Komine battled early on, as the Jayhawks had runners in scoring position in four of the first six innings. In the fourth, KU had runners on first and third, but Matt Tribble grounded to short and KU baserunner Matt Klockstein interfered with NU second baseman John Cole, erasing a potential Jayhawk run. In the fifth, KU had runners on first and second with one out, but Komine induced Casey Spanish into an inning-ending double play.

The Huskers added additional runs in the sixth and seventh innings to extend the lead to 7-0 off KU reliever Sam Gish. In the sixth, Stern singled, moved to second on Bolt's sacrifice, stole third and scored on Hopper's sacrifice fly to left. Jeff Leise increased the Husker lead to 7-0 with an RBI single scoring Jeff Blevins. NU added a pair of runs in the eighth for the final margin, as Jeff Blaesing pitched a scoreless ninth to preserve NU's third shutout of the season.

The Huskers and Jayhawks continue the three-game series on Saturday with the first pitch scheduled for 2 p.m. Sophomore left-hander Jamie Rodrigue (4-3, 6.00 ERA) will take the hill for the Huskers and will opposed by Doug Lantz (2-4, 4.76 ERA).