Huskers scrap for win against Kansas

LAWRENCE, Kan. - For a Nebraska baseball team that has struggled all year to find a consistent rhythm, this makes perfect sense:

Collect a season-low three hits and walk away from your regular-season finale against Kansas with a 4-2 victory that leaves you above .500 in the Big 12 Conference for the first time, slings you into a fourth-place finish and pretty much ensures you a spot in the NCAA postseason.

“We've had a lot of moments this year where I was very happy for individual performances. The last two days, that's the happiest I've been for our team,” said coach Mike Anderson after the Huskers beat the Jayhawks a second straight day in Hoglund Ballpark. “We end up having three hits and ... we figured out a way. We pitched well, did some things that won us a baseball game.”

NU (29-23, 14-13) climbed to its highest spot in the Big 12 standings this season thanks to regular-season champion Texas completing a three-game sweep of Texas A&M Sunday. Nebraska will face the Aggies in its Big 12 tournament opener at 10 a.m. Wednesday, then continue pool play against eighth-seeded Kansas State at 7:30 p.m. Thursday before taking on the Longhorns at 1 p.m. Saturday.

Regardless of what happens in Oklahoma City, the Huskers, who have endured multiple player suspensions, dismissals and injuries, can expect to be playing in an NCAA regional for the eighth time in nine years.

“After all the things we've been through the whole season, to finish fourth just shows how much everybody wants to win - how much talent we do have,” said right-handed junior pitcher Luke Wertz, who scattered eight hits, struck out eight and walked none over eight innings Sunday to improve to 4-0. “To this day, I really don't think that we've put together a streak of good baseball. We play a couple good games and have an off game. If we just play that good baseball going into the postseason, then anything can happen.

“If we play good baseball, we can beat everybody. So I think we can get on a roll, and so does everybody else.”

Nebraska kept believing on Sunday even though it had been held hitless by left-handed freshman Wally Marciel and trailed 1-0 entering the sixth inning. No. 9 hitter Dylan Parzyk, a senior making just his 10th start, pulled a 3-2 pitch to left for his first homer of the season with one out in the fifth to give the Jayhawks the early lead.

After tying the game in the sixth, when DJ Belfonte tripled to the right-field wall with one out and scored on a fielder's choice grounder by Craig Corriston, the Huskers got a two-run double by Jake Mort with one out in the seventh.

The hit, a smash down the third-base line against a drawn-in infield, came after Mort had popped up a pitch that was negated when Marciel was charged with his second balk of the game.

The miscue allowed Andy Gerch, who had reached on a one-out infield single, and Jake Opitz, who'd walked, to advance to second and third.

“I told myself ‘I've got a second chance, let's make the most of it,'” Mort said. “When the infield's in, you want to try to get the ball to the outfield and at least get that (lead) runner in. Fortunately, I got two in.”

After Wertz got out of a jam in the bottom of the inning by picking off Ryne Price at second (he'd led off with a double), NU added an unearned run in the eighth.

Mitch Abeita reached on a throwing error by shortstop Erik Morrison, moved to second on a hit-and-run fielder's choice grounder by Belfonte, took third on another fielder's choice and scored on a wild pitch by Andres Esquibel.

KU got its final run in the bottom half when Murphy doubled with one out and scored on John Allman's two-out single past first. But Matt Foust finished off the Jayhawks by setting them down in order in the ninth to earn his sixth save.

“There hasn't been pressure on us all year. I know some people have thought there has been, but the coaches have done a great job of telling us just go out and play every game,” Mort said. “This team stayed with it, and hopefully we can carry this down to the Big 12 tournament.”