• Box Score: NU 12, SDSU 6
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LINCOLN — Even DJ Belfonte failed to keep a straight face Tuesday as he discussed his two home runs that powered Nebraska to a 12-6 victory over South Dakota State.
“A lot of people are shocked,” said Belfonte, a four-year starter with five career homers before the latest win at Haymarket Park. “I'm not.”
Belfonte helped the Huskers cap an unbeaten five-game homestand in preparation for a Big 12-opening series at No. 2 Texas this weekend.
NU (8-7) scored 51 runs and hit .379 as a team during the past five games to raise its batting average 36 percentage points to .306.
“From an offensive side, I really liked our discipline,” Nebraska coach Mike Anderson said.
On a chilly afternoon before a season-low crowd of 871, freshman Josh Scheffert blasted a three-run homer to the left-field berm before SDSU starter Shane Kraemer recorded an out in the bottom of the first inning.
Belfonte lofted a home run into the right-field bullpen to put the Huskers up 5-0 in the second. After Nebraska's six-run fifth inning, the senior center fielder and leadoff man from Kansas City crushed a seventh-inning pitch from reliever Blaine Alberta into the seats behind straightaway right field.
“We stayed with the same approach. Took the same swings,” Belfonte said. “It just so happened the bats came out and we did well.”
The Jackrabbits (8-5) outhit Nebraska 15-14 but trailed 11-2 through six innings. SDSU then got to NU reliever Mike Nesseth in the eighth for three runs, extending the struggles of the junior right-hander.
Junior Chase Adams worked the final 113 innings, allowing one hit.
So who's the closer against Texas? “Whoever's pitching,” Anderson said. “If they got us to that point, go with it.”
Nebraska starter Sean Yost allowed two runs on five hits in 413 innings in his first appearance since the Huskers moved the sophomore from Lincoln Southwest out of the weekend rotation.
Yost will be available to pitch in relief at Texas.
“Sean will still be given an opportunity,” Anderson said. “It was a good outing.”
Contact the writer:
402-444-1031, mitch.sherman@owh.com
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