Lincoln Journal Star from Lincoln, Nebraska • 31

SPORT 2001 TEAM-BY-TEAM NaSCHEDUl6D www.joumalstar.comsports Journal Star Sunday, April 15, 2001 Sports news tips? Cal Jorn Mabry, 473-7320 Stars reach USHL finals BY MARK DEROWTTSCH Lincoln Journal Star Trevor Frischmon looked over at the Lincoln Stars bench seconds after his line gave up the game-tying goal early in the in i i mammi mwii tnira penoa on urday, thinking his coach was about to put a premature end to his shift Frischmon could see Stars Coach Steve Johnson trying to decide whether to make a line change just after Tri-QtyV Kyle Womer tied me the first time since its expansion season of 1996-97. Lincoln will face Omaha in the dark Cup finals, and game one of the best-of-five series will be played Friday at the Ice Box It didn't take Frischmon long to break the tie and the Storm's spirits. Frischmon took a feed from Snowden. and the right winger scored as Tri-City goahender Bemd Bruckler pushed the goal off its moorings just 24 seconds after Womer had tied the game "Frisch scored a big, big goal for us," Johnson said. To come back fike that after his line gave up a goal, that gave us a big boost was tempted to go with the next group up, but I kept thinking about how those three guys were working hard It would have been pretty hard not to let them keep going.

It ended up working pretty good for us." See STARS, Page 7D Clark Cup finals LINCOLN VS. OMAHA (Best-of-five) Friday Omaha at Uncoln, 7:05 p.m. April 21 Lincoln at Omaha, 7:05 p.m. April 24 Omaha at Lincoln, 7:05 p.m. April 27 x-Lincoln at Omaha, 7:05 p.m.

April 28 x-Omaha at Uncoln, 7:05 p.m. x-if necessary Good tiling for the Stars Johnson stayed with the trio of Frischmon, John Snowden and Marco Pefuso. That same shift, Frischmon came through with the game-winner in the Stars' 5-2 win during the third and final game of their United States Hockey League semifinal playoff series at the Ice Box Frischmon's game-winner gave the Stars a three games to none sweep of the Storm in their best-of-five series and moved Lincoln into the finals of the USHL playoffs for SATURDAY Lincoln 5, Tri-City 2 LANE HICKENBOTTOMLincoln Journal Star game at 2-2. "I figured he was about to take us out, and I wanted to show him we could do our job and prove we belonged out there," Frischmon said. Stars forward Jeff VanDyke avoids the defense of Tri-City forward Mark Pohl Saturday night at the Ice Box during Game 3 of their USHL semifinal series.

VanDyke makes a centering pass to Josh Magnuson, who scored the Stars' first goal. RED-WHITE SPRING GAME ini I i ii iii mm'' in i 7 "ft .1 ii 1 1 1 mWffMH' i Low-scoring offensive units have trouble moving ball BY BRIAN ROSENTHAL Lincoln Journal Star Jammal Lord and Dahrran Die-. drick left Memorial Stadium on Saturday talking about the Nebraska defense. And they had a much better view than the 30,414 football fans who were probably discussing the same subject after the Red-White Spring Game. "Me and Dahrran were talking about it, and this was no Spring Game for us," Lord said "It was like a game against an Oklahoma or i Notre Dame type of defense.

That's the potential our defense has." He should know better than anyone. Lord, who's been solidifying his role as Nebraska's No. 2 quarterback, scrambled all over Tom Osborne Field, helping the Red team muster just enough offense for a 16-7 victory over the White squad. The Red, playing with the No. 1 offense, scored one touchdown against the White, the No.

1 defense. The series lasted 11 plays and covered 77 yards. That was one of three Red drives that lasted more than seven plays. "Our defense is moving really fast," said Diedrick, who'll emerge from spring ball as the Huskers' top I-back. "They were swarming a lot of pitch plays we had They cut off the back lane, then they swarm so you have no place to go.

Diedrick, who scored the Red's touchdown on a 6-yard run, finished with 52 yards on 18 carries an average of 2.9 yards a run. Lord, wearing a green jersey that meant he was off limits for tackles, gained 72 yards on seven runs, mostly scrambles, but lost 26 yards on three sacks and a fumble. "It was difficult for the offense to establish a ground attack and a real good passing attack," said NU Coach Frank Solich, who throughout the spring reiterated his hope of seeing improvement from his defense. The Huskers are working to replace five defensive starters and played Saturday without five veterans Dejuan Grace, Keyuo Crav-er, Jason Lohr and Jamie Burrow, who are injured, and linebacker Randy Stella, who remains suspended. See SPRING, Page 3D STEVEN M.SIPPLE Journal Star StaffWriter Gotta keep an eye on I-baclcs OK so maybe we're a tad peculiar in Nebraska.

We dutifully file to the Red-White Spring Game, 30,414 strong Saturday, wondering whether a No. 2 1-back will emerge from the pack. And we walk away buzzing about a third-string defensive tackle, Patrick Kabongo (12 tackles), and a third-team rush end, Benard Thomas (four sacks). This day belonged to the defense, no contest, first through fourth strings. Some kid named Anthony Hoke from Kansas was flying around the Memorial Stadium lawn, making tackles as if he were being paid for everyhit "The defense played superb today," said DeAntae Grixby, one of three principals in the No.

2 1-back chase. "Any move you made, they wereonyou. "They seem quicker this year." Grixby would; have preferred to gain some ground Saturday on fellow backup I-backs Thunder Collins and Robin Miller. But running room was in short supply thanks to swarming defenders such as freshman defensive tackle Manaia Brown (seven tackles), sophomore linebacker T.J. Hollowell (six) and junior linebacker Scott Shanle (six).

So the great No. 2 1-back chase will stretch into preseason camp in August Right now that group is very close," said Nebraska running backs coach Dave Gillespie. "I don't know mat anyone made any jumps today." Grixby, a sophomore from Omaha, rushed four times for 14 BY TED KIRKLincoln Journal Star l-back Dahrran Diedrick (above) of the Red team beats rover Willie Amos (standing) and cornerback Jeff Hemje (diving) to score a 6-yard touchdown in the first quarter of Saturday's Red-White Spring Game at Memorial Stadium. Diedrick rushed for 52 yards on 18 carries. I Mr, lnside3D Young Inemen impress: The second-team defensive line racks up 12 sacks and yields just 2.7 yards a play.

Notebook: Backup kicker Sahdro DeAngelis made three field goals. Numbers: Scoring summary and individual statistics. 7 yards. He said his performance was irv 1-back Thunder Collins of the White team brushes aside cornerback Seth White during the second quarter Saturday. Collins rushed 13 times for 55 yards.

See SIPPLE, Page 3D No winner in this duel NU look of Bears V-' 1 Rodrigue, for sweep BY CURT McKEEVER Lincoln Journal Star With one left in its six-pack of games against Texas and Baylor, the film-ranked Nebraska baseball team is where it wants to be. And re-mdkzs of what hap- I ens against the i I Bears a Buck Beltz- er Stadium today, the kiOS wfflin SATURDAY will remain Nebraska 6, there Baylor 4 atop the Big 12 Conference standings. NU, which won two of three against the Longhoms last weekend, got a dutch pitching performance from Jamie Rodrigue and a 4-for-4 day at the plate by John Cole to beat Baylor 6-4 Saturday. best pitcher three times for the Red Sox and twice for Toronto. Although Clemens remains the winningest pitcher in Red Sox history tied with Cy Young himself the Fenway fans have abandoned him since he signed with the Yankees and greeted him with a steady stream of boos.

"It's great that after 18 years, they're still getting aD fired up about it," Clemens said. "When you're a visitor, you're supposed to get booed." Clemens allowed two runs with two outs in the fourth inning on a single, a walk, a rniscue at second by Soriano and Trot Nixon's single through the left side of the infield. It was still 2-0 when Clemens left after six iruiings. "Very few times are you going to see me with a lead and give it up. But you have to give them credit, they battled, Martinez said after recording his second no-decision in three starts this seasoa "I'm only human and I can't always do it" In the seventh, the Yankees scratched out a couple of runs to tie it when Soriano beat out the relay on a possible double-play ball, driving in one run.

He then stole second and third and scored on Martinez's wild pitch "When you're down 2-0 against Pedro, it's over no matter what kind of team you have," said Luis Sojo, who walked on the wild pitch that scored Soriano. "But you never give up, Both Clemens and Martinez were long gone when Soriano hit a fly ball that hit the top of the Green Monster and went into the net Clemens, Martinez both pick up no-decisions BY JIMMY GOLEN The Associated Press BOSTON Roger Clemens and Pedro Martinez have combined for eight Cy Young Awards, but on Saturday they couldn't manage a win between them Clemens left after six innings with the Red Sox leading 2-0, but he was spared the loss when New York scored twice on Martinez in the top of the seventh. "He's frustrating for us, like he is for everybody else," Yankees Manager Joe Torre said after his team won 3-2 on Alfonso Soriano's ninth-inning homer off Pete Schourek. ft was the fourth time Clemens and Martinez have faced each other, and Martinez is 2-0 with a 0.93 ERA. "Roger matched him pitch for pitch I think for both of them, it ended the right way.

Neither one of them won or lost," Torre said. Clemens, 0-2 with a 4.50 ERA against Martin nez, Wasn't disappointed with a no-decision. "We won," he said "It doesn't get any better than that" Martinez won the Cy Young Award once in Montreal and twice after he came to Boston essentially to replace Clemens, who was the AL's The Huskers' second straight win against the No. 8 Bears left them a game up on the defending champions, who are percentage points ahead of Texas (which lost to Missouri Saturday) for second place. "The Big 12 is a powerhouse league, and to be on top is a real honor for our team," said Cole, who put Nebraska in front for good in Saturday's game with a two-run, first-irining single.

A Beltzer Stadium record crowd of 4,029 then watched the left-handed sophomore Rodrigue come through with one of his guttjer outings of the seasoa Rodrigue scattered nine hits over 7 innings, striking out six and walking one, to improve his record to 4-3. More importantly, he appears to be settling hi as a solid No. 2 starter, as in the past three games he's lasted at least 5A innings, struck See BASEBALL, Page 5D THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Rookie Alfonso Soriano stole the spotlight from Pedro Martinez and Roger Clemens with a ninth-inning solo homer that gave the New York Yankees a 3-2 win over the Boston Red Sox on Saturday. Red Sox second baseman Jose Offerman watches Soriano..