Duensing Shines as Huskers Put Freeze on Panthers

Lincoln - Brian Duensing allowed one run in seven innings to earn his first collegiate win, while the Huskers pounded out 10 runs on 17 hits, as No. 12 Nebraska downed Wisconsin-Milwaukee, 10-1, on a frigid afternoon at Hawks Field Tuesday afternoon.

The freshman left-hander from Omaha was effective, allowing one run on four hits, as he struck out a career-high six batters and walked only two to improve to 1-1 on the year. Duensing, whose outing was the second longest of his short career, was backed by a Husker defense that turned a season-high four double plays, as temperatures hovered in the upper 30s with constant 20 mile-per-hour winds.

While Duensing and reliever Waylon Byers, who struck out four in two hitless innings of relief, clamped the Panther offense, Drew Anderson tied a career high with four hits and provided the contest's biggest blow, a three-run double off UWM starter Aaron Bushong in the second inning. Anderson, who also had four hits in NU's win over Baylor on March 8, went 4-for-6 and scored twice, as the Huskers improved to 18-9 on the season.

"You can tell by the volume coming out of our dugout that we needed to get back on track," Van Horn said. "I was very proud of the effort we gave today."

Bushong took the loss, allowing five runs on seven its in three innings to fall to 1-2 on the season, as UWM dropped to 4-9 on the year.

John Grose continued his torrid stretch, as the Husker catcher went 2-for-3 with a homer, his first of the season, and three RBIs, while Jeff Leise, Matt Hopper, Will Bolt and Joe Simokaitis all added two hits apiece in the win.

The Huskers broke out of the gate in the bottom of the first, as Justin Seely's RBI single scored Anderson to give NU a 1-0 lead.

Nebraska extended the lead to 4-0 in the second, as a walk to Groce and consecutive singles by Simokaitis and Leise loaded the bases before Anderson delivered a double to the left field corner, scoring all three runners.

"It's good to see him hit the fastball the other way," Van Horn said. "He took three breaking pitches before going the other way. It is one reason why I played him. I have confidence in him."

John Vanden Berg trimmed the Panther deficit to 4-1 in the top of the fourth with an RBI double to left that scored Adam Christ. The Huskers got the run back in the bottom of the frame, as Jed Morris drove in Simokaitis with an RBI ground out.

Grose then helped to put the game out of the reach by leading off the seventh with a solo homer to right to give the Huskers a 6-1 advantage. NU would add to the lead with RBI doubles by Morris and Hopper before the Huskers closed the scoring one inning later on Groce's two-run double to center.

The Huskers and Panthers conclude the two-game series Wednesday afternoon at 2:05 p.m. Freshman Phil Shirek (1-1, 5.27 ERA) will take the hill for NU and will be opposed by right-hander Rob Erickson (0-0, 5.48 ERA).