Dorn strikes out 13 in NU win
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BY CURT McKEEVER / Lincoln Journal Star
Back when he was a Nebraska freshman, on St. Patrick’s Day 2005, Johnny Dorn threw three shutout innings in relief during a mid-week game against Northern Colorado.
“That’s a long time ago,” Dorn said Saturday, stumped to provide any details of that outing.
For the record, it was his fourth appearance as a Husker and earned him his second victory.
Saturday, the senior right-hander from Grand Island notched win No. 33 by limiting Northern Colorado to three hits over seven innings in a 12-2 Husker victory.
Oh, yeah, he also struck out a career-high 13, one shy of the most by a collegiate pitcher at Haymarket Park (NU’s Shane Komine had 14 against Texas A&M in 2002).
Apparently, Dorn has learned a few things since last facing the Bears.
“Maybe throwing a little harder. Really, I don’t know,” Dorn said when asked about striking out 29 in 20 innings while producing a 2-0 record and a miniscule 1.35 ERA. “I’m just trying to get outs, man. I don’t know.”
OK, so if Dorn isn’t sure, maybe Bryce Nimmo can help. Nimmo, after all, is seeing pitchers better than any Husker hitter.
The senior center fielder produced his fifth straight multi-hit game by going 3-for-4 with two RBIs and stroking his third career homer to raise his average 40 points to .469.
So how about it, Bryce? Any thoughts on what’s going right with your teammate?
“He’s taking the best tools he has and he’s locating ’em where he needs to,” Nimmo said.
The senior from Cheyenne, Wyo., then realized he’d just ripped off a line of coachspeak.
“I don’t know exactly what he’s doing,” Nimmo quickly added, “but I hope he keeps doing it.”
While Dorn was striking out the first seven batters, the Huskers were staking him to a 5-0 lead in the second inning by stringing together six hits and a sacrifice fly.
The Huskers, who have scored at least 10 runs in three straight games for the first time since March of 2006, added four more off Northern Colorado starter Chris Reap in the fourth.
The left-handed-hitting Nimmo then started a three-run seventh by pulling a 2-0 pitch from lefty Eric Skufca into the wind, into the right-field bullpen.
“He was really trying to stay on it and hit it back up the middle,” NU coach Mike Anderson said. “That’s what happens when they come in and you’re being quick. He was just quick to the baseball.
“To me, it was a pure swing.”
Of course, Nimmo’s been making a lot of those lately.
“What you’re trying to do is make solid contact with every pitch,” he said. “It’s been kind of building up and it’s been going well. Our whole team’s starting to do that. We’re doing what we need to do and scoring runs in the right situations.”
In addition to Nimmo’s big day, DJ Belfonte, Cody Neer and Ben Kline also had two hits apiece.
Nebraska (7-2 and riding a six-game winning streak) and the Bears (5-5) continue their four-game series with a doubleheader that begins at 12:05 p.m. Sunday.
Reach Curt McKeever at 473-7441 or cmckeever@journalstar.com.
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