Texas Tech University Athletics
Texas Tech - Nebraska Postgame Notes
May 23, 2002 | Baseball
May 23, 2002
- Nebraska scored runs in every inning as the Huskers advanced to Saturday's game with an 12-8 victory over the Texas Tech Red Raiders in the first of two winner's bracket games Thursday night at the Phillips 66 Big 12 Conference Tournament at the Ballpark in Arlington.
- The Huskers scored single runs in the first three innings before scoring two runs in each of the next three frames to take a 9-1 lead over Texas Tech after six innings. The victory was the Huskers' 11th straight in Big 12 Tournament play.
- Nebraska got on the board first in the bottom of the opening inning when center fielder Jeff Leise doubled down the left field line, moved to third on a ground out by Daniel Bruce and scored on a sacrifice fly to right field by designated hitter Jed Morris.
- Texas Tech mounted a rally in the top of the second, loading the bases, but Nebraska starter Shane Komine picked off Jake Brown at second base to end the inning. For Komine, it was his 26th pickoff of his career.
- The Huskers made it 2-0 in the second with a single by Justin Seely and a double by John Grose moving Seely to third. The Nebraska left fielder scored on a sacrifice fly to left by Will Bolt.
- In the third, Gera Alverez got on bases on an infield hit and advanced to second on a throwing error by shortstop Joe Simokaitis. He would score on a single to center by Willie Durazo to trim the Nebraska lead to 2-1. It was the first run allowed by Komine in 10 2/3 innings pitched since returning from an elbow injury that forced him to miss a month of the season.
- Nebraska answered with a bloop single to left by Jed Morris, then first baseman Matt Hopper tripled over the head of Tech right fielder Madison Edwards to score Morris and give the Huskers a 3-1 lead.
- Bolt extended the Husker lead to 4-1 with a single to center scoring Grose from second. Bolt moved to second on an error by Tech center fielder Jon Slack. The hit extended Bolt's hitting streak to 13 games, dating back to the Wichita State game on April 30. Leise then bunted his way on, scoring Bolt for a 5-1 advantage and the Husker center fielder went to second when the Red Raiders threw the ball into the Nebraska dugout.
- Grose stretched the Nebraska lead to 7-1 with a two-run, two-out double to the right center field gap, scoring Jeff Blevins and Justin Seely. Blevins reached on a walk and Seely was hit by a pitch setting up Grose's two-bagger. Seely's second hit batsman of the game tied him with Ryan Ruiz of Texas Tech, who was hit twice in a game against Texas in 1999.
- In the sixth, Simokaitis walked then back-to-back singles by Leise and Bruce scored Simokaitis from second. The Huskers made it 9-1 on a Jed Morris double to the gap in right center. Leise scored, but throws by Madison Edwards and Bryon Smith gunned down Bruce at the plate.
- Texas Tech got to Komine in the seventh as Alvarez doubled to right center, scoring two runs and it was the first extra-base hit and earned runs given up by Komine since his return. Komine left the game after the double, throwing 121 pitches in 6 2/3 innings.
- The Red Raiders scored another run on a single by Durazo off reliever Brian Duensing to trim the Husker advantage to 9-4.
- Leise got one of the runs back in the bottom half of the inning on a sacrifice fly to right. A bloop single by Daniel Bruce scoring Simokaitis from third made it 11-4 Nebraska.
- Texas Tech made a run in the top of the eighth with a pair of runs by Kevin Jordan and Alvarez to cut to deficit to 11-6. Two more runs would come across on a single to right by reserve Cody Fuller and all of a sudden, it was 11-8. But reliever Jeff Blaesing put out the fire and forced Brent Fossum to fly out to right to end the threat.
- Nebraska has scored in nine consecutive innings, going back to the eighth inning of yesterday's game with Baylor. The Huskers have scored in 13 of the 16 innings played in this year's tournament.
- Texas Tech pitching coach Ryan Brewer was ejected from the game in the bottom of the eighth for arguing balls and strikes calls during a conference at the mound. It was the first ejection of a player or coach in the tournament. Nebraska pitcher Phil Shirek tied a Big 12 Tournament record with 2 hit batters in one inning. Shirek hit Durazo and Nick Blankenship in the top of the eighth.
- Game Attendance - 10,092
- Thursday Attendance - 24,795
- Tournament Attendance - 67,447 (Through 7 games)
Postgame Press Conference: Oklahoma State
Sunday, April 26
Highlights: Oklahoma State
Sunday, April 26
Highlights: Oklahoma State
Saturday, April 25
Press Conference: Oklahoma State
Saturday, April 25