For Immediate Release: April 24, 2002
Contact: Dave Geringer, UTPA Director of Athletic Media Relations, (956) 381-2240

NEBRASKA DOWNS BRONCS

LINCOLN, NE –The 16th-ranked team in the nation was a bit too tough for The University of Texas-Pan American’s baseball team Wednesday night.

Nebraska scored five times in the bottom of the seventh inning and went on to a 10-2 victory over the Broncs at Hawks Field at Haymarket Park.

The Broncs scored first run of the evening in the sixth. Junior second baseman Jerome McCoy (Fort Worth, TX/Eastern Hills HS/Northeast Texas CC) led off with a single against NU’s second pitcher, Steve Hale. McCoy moved to second on an infield out, and went to third on a fly ball. He scored when second baseman Will Bolt fielder a grounder by freshman right fielder Tony Ortiz (Fort Worth, TX/Nolan HS) and threw wildly, allowing Ortiz to reach second.

UTPA scored their final run in the ninth. Junior designated hitter Skip Weast (Inola, OK/Inola HS/Crowder JC), who got the final two outs on the mound in the eighth, tripled with one out. Pinch-hitter Adam Farek (Sr. Crockett, TX/Crockett HS/Cedar Valley CC) followed with a single to score Weast.

Nebraska got off to a quick start, scoring three times in the first. Center fielder Jeff Leise tripled and scored on a double by left fielder Daniel Bruce. Third baseman Jeff Blevins drove in the second run with a sacrifice fly, and catcher John Grose doubled in the third run. Bruce’s run-scoring single made it 4-0 in the second inning.

The Cornhuskers scored five runs in the seventh. First baseman Matt Hopper and Blevins began the inning with back-to-back triples, and Grose’s sacrifice fly scored Blevins. Leise and Bruce drew bases-loaded walks to account for the third and fourth runs of the inning, and designated hitter Jed Morris’ infield out drove in the fifth. Right fielder Drew Anderson was hit by a pitch with the bases full in the eighth to account for the final NU run.

Nebraska starter Mile Sillman allowed three hits in five scoreless innings to earn the win, improving his record to 1-1. Senior Bronc starter Frak James (Elgin, TX/Elgin HS/Navarro JC) took the loss and fell to 5-7.

The Cornhuskers improved to 28-14 with the victory, while the Broncs fell to 13-30 with the defeat. UTPA will return to action when they host St. Mary’s in a doubleheader Saturday.

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