[Husker] 30 runs, 5 hrs 45 min later / Edlefsen Hits for the Cycle

[Skylar Dodds]

Hello Husker Fans,

  Wow, what a crazy mid week game. The Huskers beat the Hawkeyes 16-14
  after 13 innings. Where to begin on such a crazy game. The Huskers
  used 8 pitchers, combined for 271 pitches. It really shouldn't have
  been that close, the Huskers out-hit the Hawkeyes 24-9, but 2
  errors, 11 walks, and 5 hit batters kept the Hawkeyes in it.

  The Huskers went up big early 9-2.  Opitz hit a 2 run triple and
  Edlfesen hit a homer in a 6 run effort for the margin.

  The Hawkeyes plated 2 in the 4th, and 4 in the 5th to bring it to
  9-8.  From there, each team traded 1 run an inning for the next 3
  innings.

  The Huskers scored 2 in the top of the 9th to take a 3 run lead.
  And with Jensen rolling on the mound everything looked great.  He
  struck out the last batter in the 8th in 4 pitches, struck out the
  first 2 batters in 6 pitches and he seemed to be at his best.  After
  battling with the Hawkeye's Price, he walked him on a full count.
  He had the next batter to a 1-2 count when he hit him with a pitch.
  The very next pitch, Hawkeye's Sweet hit a bomb over the left field
  wall to tie the game.

  The next 3 innings were scoreless, with both teams loading the bases
  in the 11th, only not to score.  When Opitz, who had 5 RBIs on the
  day, singled home Buckman and Edlefsen.  Klausing let up a hit in
  the bottom of the 13th, but he retired the next 3 to pick up the
  win.

  For the second time a Husker hits for the cycle (Gorsett did it
  earlier in the year).  Steve Edlefsen was (ya, I know) 6 for 8 with
  3 singles and 1 double, triple and homer.  He had 2 RBI's and scored
  5 times.

  Not to be too outdone, Jake Opitz was 5 for 7 with 5 RBIs with a
  triple and a homer, including the game winning double.

  What's interesting is, Opitz and Edlefsen were not having a great
  year before today.  Edlefsen was batting a mere .162 and Opitz was
  only .263.  I guess that's mid-week baseball, huh.

  Wehrle (4) and Buckman (10) also homered.  Buckman's came in the
  1st with a 3 run shot to center.  Wehrle's came in the 6th, a solo
  shot to left.

  Radamacher started and walked 4 batters in just 1.1 innings.
  Jennings then came in to walk 3 more.  Hamerlink gave up 4 ER in 1.1
  innings and a walk.  Wertz, Herr, Bird pitched the next 3 innings
  and gave up 3 runs (2 earned).  Then Jensen suffered his 2nd blown
  save of the year.  Klausing pitched 4 innings, gave up 1 hit and
  walked 2 for the win (2-0).

  Great offense, but not so great pitching in a marathon.  This
  'shaky' pitching is not the end of the world when it comes to a
  mid-week game, but you still don't like to see it.

  The Huskers start a 3 game series vs aTm on Thursday at Hawks field.
  The first game will be broadcast on Cox (I think channel 3,
  if not 2 in Omaha) and starts at 6:35.  Friday's game will also
  start at 6:35 and Saturday's is at 3:05 (after the spring game).

  The Huskers are riding a 7 game winning streak and improve to 4-0 in
  extra inning games.  It never really seemed like they were going to
  lose today, we just didn't want to put Iowa away.

  This weekend's series is significant one, as last year's Husker
  pitching coach Rob Childress brings his Aggies to town.  The Aggies
  have a good pitching staff (as expected, with the Big XII's 2nd best
  ERA at 3.12 behind NU's 2.92 before today), but not a great offense.
  They are last in batting average, run's scored and homers.  They
  bring a (19-16, 3-9) record into Lincoln.

-- 
Go Skers,
 Skylar                            mailto:Sklarbodds at cox.net