Huskers rally to top Kansas
The guy who delivered the hit Friday that produced the two runs Nebraska needed to give Johnny Dorn his 36th career victory was deferring to a higher influence.
“The game owed it to him,” Craig Corriston said of Dorn, who labored throughout the opener of a three-game series against Kansas at Haymarket Park. The senior right-hander pitched deep enough into the game to benefit from Corriston’s seventh-inning single that rallied the ninth-ranked Huskers to a 7-6 win.
Owed him?
Oh, that’s right. The last time Dorn took the mound, a week ago Friday, he limited Oklahoma State to four hits and one run over eight innings — and was the losing pitcher in the first-ever 1-0 game at Allie P. Reynolds Stadium.
“A win always feels better,” said Dorn, who was beating himself up for being a mental “wuss” early against the Jayhawks.
But after being touched for nine hits in the first five innings — the most he’d allowed in his career — Dorn retired nine straight Jayhawks before being pulled after walking Nick Faunce with two out in the eighth.
“As soon as he started getting that ball back down in the bottom of the zone, then he had guys chasing the slider and sinking fastball,” Kansas coach Ritch Price said of Dorn. “That’s when he’s really tough.”
After Dorn exited, Dan Jennings came in to strike out pinch hitter Justin Ellrich, then escaped after giving up a leadoff walk and two-out single in the ninth. Jennings retired Erik Morrison on a foul pop-up to third baseman Jake Mort to notch his team-high fourth save.
“He might not like the runs he gave up, but he came out and competed in the sixth, seventh and eighth (innings),” Mort said of Dorn, who before Friday was 1-1 with a save and a 7.84 ERA in three outings against KU in his career.
His latest effort marked only the second time in nine starts this season he’d allowed more than two runs. But unlike last week, the Huskers had Dorn’s back.
Mort — a Nebraska City native who was recognized during the game as a ‘Hometown Husker’ — started NU’s seventh-inning rally with a leadoff single off Nick Czyz. His up-the-middle hit off the junior left-hander came after he’d fouled off three straight 3-2 pitches.
“Great at-bat,” said Nebraska coach Mike Anderson. “He fought some pitches off, fought some pitches off and then had his best swing in a long time.”
Czyz then walked Jake Opitz before giving way to sophomore right-hander Brett Bollman, who walked Mitch Abeita to load the bases.
That brought up Corriston, and he sent a 1-1 pitch screaming just past diving shortstop Ryne Price to put the Huskers on top in what would become their 10th come-from-behind victory of the season.
“It’s been like that all year,” Corriston said of Nebraska coming through in the clutch. “I hope it keeps going.”
The Huskers, 20-1-1 at home this season, also benefited from two errors by KU third baseman Tony Thompson that led to three unearned runs.
By snapping the Jayhawks’ five-game winning streak, Nebraska improved to 27-6-1 overall and kept on the heels of Big 12 Conference-leading Texas A&M at 12-3-1.
The teams continue their series with game at 3:35 p.m. today.
Reach Curt McKeever at 473-7441 or cmckeever@journalstar.com.
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