Huskers Belt Five Homers in Win over Kansas State

Manhattan, Kan. - Nebraska hit a season-high five home runs, including a pair by Jed Morris, and got an outstanding relief performance from Jason Burch, as the eighth-ranked Huskers toppled Kansas State, 22-6, in front of a crowd of 582 at Tointon Family Stadium Saturday afternoon.

Morris paced the Husker 19-hit attack, going 3-for-6 with two homers, his fifth and sixth homers of the season, and tied a career high with four RBIs. The junior from Seabrook, Texas, belted a two-run run round tripper in the first and added a solo shot in the fourth off Kansas State starter Brock Smith (1-3), as Nebraska erased an early deficit by scoring two or more runs in six different innings, including eight runs in the seventh.

"I felt like we were going to find out a little about our team today, about how tough we were mentally," Van Horn said. "We told them that you can't just roll out of bed and beat people in this conference. I like the way they responded today."

The 22 runs was the most NU scored in a conference game under Coach Dave Van Horn and the most in a Big 12 game since the Huskers scored 25 runs in a 25-15 win over Texas on May 4, 1997. The runs allowed by KSU are the most they have allowed in a game since a 31-15 loss to San Diego on Feb. 17, 2000.

Burch, who came in for starter Jamie Rodrigue in the third, earned the win, scattering six hits in five innings of relief to improve to 3-1 on the season. The sophomore right-hander struck out a pair and did not allow a run until after the Huskers had built a 16-run lead in the seventh inning.

Nebraska, which improved to 17-8 overall and 7-4 in the Big 12, also received homers from Jeff Leise, Daniel Bruce and Will Bolt, as the Huskers eclipsed their previous season high of five at Fresno State on March 1. Sophomore catcher John Grose chipped with a career high four RBIs in a three-hit performance while seven different players had at least two hits in the win, as NU tied a season high with 19 hits.

"We seem to play better when we need to," Grose said. "We were explosive today. We kept getting hit after hit and it never stopped."

Nebraska used the long ball to get out to a quick 3-0 lead in the top of the first. Leise led off the contest with a solo homer, his sixth of the season, which carried over the scoreboard in right. Bruce was then hit by a Smith offering before Morris gave the Huskers a three run lead with a two-run shot to right.

The Wildcats, who dropped to 15-11 and 2-3 in the Big 12, came back with four runs in the second, scoring three time with two outs off the Husker starter. Brett Williams, Osmar Castillo and Brad Anzman all produced RBI singles in the frame, as Castillo plated the final run of the frame on a throwing error. Williams paced the KSU offense with four of the team's 16 hits.

The Huskers regained the lead for good in the third, scoring four times to chase the KSU starter. Morris opened the inning with his second homer of the game, a solo shot to right before a single by Jeff Blevins and an RBI double by Matt Hopper send the hosts to the bullpen. Three batters later, Groce, who had one RBI in his first 11 contests, extended the Husker lead to 7-4 with a two-run double to the left off Chad Duckers.

While the Husker bats got untracked, Burch came in and shut down the Wildcats, who had at least at least hit in every inning, as Nebraska turned a pair of double plays, while KSU stranded nine runners.

NU tacked on a pair of runs in the fifth and sixth, on two-run homers by Bruce and Will Bolt, respectively, before putting the game out of reach by scoring eight runs on four hits, all with two outs in the seventh. The inning was highlighted Grose's two-run single and RBI hits by Adam Riddle, who had two hits in his first start since March 1, and Morris.

The Huskers and Wildcats will conclude the series Sunday afternoon at 1p.m. Sophomore left-hander Aaron Marsden (1-0, 0.86 ERA) will take the hill for the Huskers and will be opposed by Kansas State right-hander Kevin Melcher (3-1, 3.37 ERA).