Huskers Capture First Conference Title in 51 Years

Lincoln - Matt Hopper went 2-for-5 with grand slam and a career-high tying six RBI, as top-ranked Nebraska clinched its first conference title in 51 seasons, defeating Iowa State, 16-8, in front of a crowd of 692 at Cap Timm Field Friday afternoon.

Hopper's grand slam off ISU reliever Josh Twedt in the top of the sixth capped a six-run outburst gave the Huskers the lead for good, as NU won only its fourth baseball conference title in school history and first since winning the Big Seven Conference title back in 1950.

"I coached at a lot of different levels and this tops everything I have been associated with," Nebraska Coach Dave Van Horn said. "For a team in this league playing in this part of the country, this is something we wanted more than anything else."

Nebraska, which has won six straight to improve to 41-12 overall and 20-6 in the Big 12, trailed four different times over the first five innings before scoring 11 runs in the last four innings off five Iowa State pitchers en route to scoring 10 or more runs in a game for the 25th time this season.

Trailing 6-5, the Huskers exploded for six runs in the sixth in taking an 11-6 advantage. Will Bolt led off the inning with a single before consecutive walks to Jeff Leise and Adam Stern loaded the bases with no outs. ISU coach Lyle Smith brought in left-hander Aaron Paterson to face Dan Johnson, who drew a walk to tie the score at 6-6. With two outs and the bases loaded, Twedt hit Jed Morris, scoring Stern with the game-winning run, before Hopper took the Cyclone reliever's next pitch over the fence in left center for his ninth homer - and second grand slam - of the year.

"You get six runs and the whole team relaxes, Hopper said. "I went up thinking in the back of my mind about a homer. You always have that feeling when the bases are loaded, but really I just wanted to get a big hit."

"We just needed to loosen up and let things happen," Van Horn said. "I told them to relax because we knew we were going to score some runs. It just looked for a while it will be a 12-10 game. I think I knew it right then when Hopper hit it that we would win."

Twedt took the loss for the Cyclones, allowing five runs in 2.2 innings in falling to 0-2 on the season.

The six runs marked the 52nd time this season the Huskers scored four or more runs in an inning, a total which was added to in the ninth, as NU plated five more runs, highlighted by a two-run single to left by Hopper, to extend the lead to 16-7. The Huskers had 10 hits, including three by John Cole and two each by Hopper and Bolt, and took advantage of the Cyclone pitchers, who walked 13 batters and hit two more.

Steve Hale picked up the win in relief, allowing four runs (three earned) in a season-high five innings of work to improve to 5-0 on the year. Nebraska All-America starter Shane Komine, who entered the game with a Big 12-best 11 wins, went just two innings, allowing three runs on five, before suffering a back injury. It was his shortest outing since the 1999 season. Thom Ott pitched the final two innings to record his Big 12-high eighth save, tying Steve Boyd's career record of 14 set from 1992 to 1993.

Iowa State, which fell to 21-27-1 overall and 9-15 in the conference, was led by Joe Urban and Ryan Wickam, who combined for eight of the Cyclones 16 hits.

Early on, the Cyclones, who are fighting for a berth in the Big 12 Tournament next week, took advantage of a rocky outing by Komine, scoring a run in the first on T.J. Bohn's RBI single before adding two more in the second on a solo homer by Brandon Cashman, his third of the year, and a run-scoring single by Adam Christ.

Nebraska regained the lead at 4-3 in the top of the third on a two-run single by John Cole and a Jeff Blevins RBI groundout, but ISU came right back, scoring two in the third on a two-run single by Ryan Wickam, who went 4-for-5 with three RBI.

NU tied the game at four in the fourth, as Stern singled, moved to second on a Dan Johnson walk, one of four on the day, and scored from second on Justin Seely's grounder to second, beating the tag at the plate. The Cyclones took their last lead in the bottom of the inning, as Urban singled and scored on a Wickham bad-hop double that went over Leise in center.

The Huskers and Cyclones continue the three-series on Saturday with the first pitch scheduled for 1p.m.