Huskers' Big 12 blues continue
COLUMBIA, Mo. - Daniel Bruce could tell you how the Nebraska baseball team really felt after getting spanked 16-11 by Missouri at Taylor Stadium on Saturday. Long about the eighth inning, the Huskers junior right fielder was ready to soak his head in a bucket of cold water.
"That was stupid. It was a little immature of me to try and make that play," said Bruce, who with NU down 15-10 in the eighth inning scooped up a liner that Mizzou's Jeremy Hernandez dumped into right and attempted to throw him out - at first.
Instead, his peg went into the Huskers' dugout for their season-high fifth error of the game, letting Hernandez advance to second and leading to the Tigers' final run.
"It ended up costing us," Bruce said.
Not that it mattered. The Tigers (24-12-1, 4-7 Big 12 Conference) had already done more than enough damage while bludgeoning five of six Nebraska pitchers. At the end, they had produced more hits (18) and runs (16) than NU had allowed all season.
Saturday's result also left the 15th-ranked Huskers with their first four-game, Big 12 losing streak since 2000 and will mark the first time since 1998 they will drop back-to-back league series in the same season. Nebraska lost Friday's opener 3-2.
"To me, this is the low point of the season," Bruce said. "But we have confidence in the team. I have confidence in every one of these guys."
Outside of their hitting, the Huskers (25-9, 6-5) hardly showed it.
After taking a 3-0 lead in the top of the first, Nebraska gave it back in the bottom half, when Missouri put up a five spot. Four of those runs were produced with two outs.
The Huskers came back to take an 8-5 lead in the third only to give up three in the fifth - all with two outs. The Tigers produced another five-run inning in the sixth - scoring four with two outs - to take control for good.
Hernandez delivered the big blow by lining a 2-1 pitch from left-handed junior Jeremy Becker to right for a three-run double. Earlier in the inning, Becker had allowed the first baserunner in the last 26 he'd inherited to score.
"Confidence is probably a big part of it," Becker said of Nebraska losing for the fourth time in five games. "Maybe we were trying to make that big pitch or trying too hard, but it just didn't happen today."
Wasted were four-hit efforts by center fielder Colin Shockey and first baseman Curtis Ledbetter, and a four-RBI performance by Alex Gordon.
"A very uncharacteristic game for us," Shockey said. "We have a good defensive team and we make five errors. Our pitchers have been there all year for us, but they didn't have it today. It's tough to win like that."
Now, to avoid being swept in a league series for the first time since 2000, the Huskers will have to solve Missouri right-hander Garrett Broshuis in today's 1 p.m. finale. Broshuis is 6-0.
"I have nothing to smile about right now," said coach Mike Anderson, who has watched Nebraska drop three of its last four series with Missouri.
Anderson got ejected from Friday's contest and Saturday was at odds with all three members of the umpiring crew.
"Any of our NCAA teams, we've gone through (tough) stretches," he said. "We'd like to think this is one of those where we need to bounce back.
"I still feel confident we can get it back going. My fear is our guys don't feel that way. We have guys that are tough on themselves. They've got to maintain their confidence."
Shockey echoed that sentiment.
"It'll be an important game tomorrow," he said. "We always talk about adversity and we hope to come out and get that one, kind of like Wichita State (on Tuesday), after playing the way we did those last two games against Texas Tech (last weekend)."
Reach Curt McKeever at 473-7441 or cmckeever@;journalstar.com.
"That was stupid. It was a little immature of me to try and make that play," said Bruce, who with NU down 15-10 in the eighth inning scooped up a liner that Mizzou's Jeremy Hernandez dumped into right and attempted to throw him out - at first.
Instead, his peg went into the Huskers' dugout for their season-high fifth error of the game, letting Hernandez advance to second and leading to the Tigers' final run.
"It ended up costing us," Bruce said.
Not that it mattered. The Tigers (24-12-1, 4-7 Big 12 Conference) had already done more than enough damage while bludgeoning five of six Nebraska pitchers. At the end, they had produced more hits (18) and runs (16) than NU had allowed all season.
Saturday's result also left the 15th-ranked Huskers with their first four-game, Big 12 losing streak since 2000 and will mark the first time since 1998 they will drop back-to-back league series in the same season. Nebraska lost Friday's opener 3-2.
"To me, this is the low point of the season," Bruce said. "But we have confidence in the team. I have confidence in every one of these guys."
Outside of their hitting, the Huskers (25-9, 6-5) hardly showed it.
After taking a 3-0 lead in the top of the first, Nebraska gave it back in the bottom half, when Missouri put up a five spot. Four of those runs were produced with two outs.
The Huskers came back to take an 8-5 lead in the third only to give up three in the fifth - all with two outs. The Tigers produced another five-run inning in the sixth - scoring four with two outs - to take control for good.
Hernandez delivered the big blow by lining a 2-1 pitch from left-handed junior Jeremy Becker to right for a three-run double. Earlier in the inning, Becker had allowed the first baserunner in the last 26 he'd inherited to score.
"Confidence is probably a big part of it," Becker said of Nebraska losing for the fourth time in five games. "Maybe we were trying to make that big pitch or trying too hard, but it just didn't happen today."
Wasted were four-hit efforts by center fielder Colin Shockey and first baseman Curtis Ledbetter, and a four-RBI performance by Alex Gordon.
"A very uncharacteristic game for us," Shockey said. "We have a good defensive team and we make five errors. Our pitchers have been there all year for us, but they didn't have it today. It's tough to win like that."
Now, to avoid being swept in a league series for the first time since 2000, the Huskers will have to solve Missouri right-hander Garrett Broshuis in today's 1 p.m. finale. Broshuis is 6-0.
"I have nothing to smile about right now," said coach Mike Anderson, who has watched Nebraska drop three of its last four series with Missouri.
Anderson got ejected from Friday's contest and Saturday was at odds with all three members of the umpiring crew.
"Any of our NCAA teams, we've gone through (tough) stretches," he said. "We'd like to think this is one of those where we need to bounce back.
"I still feel confident we can get it back going. My fear is our guys don't feel that way. We have guys that are tough on themselves. They've got to maintain their confidence."
Shockey echoed that sentiment.
"It'll be an important game tomorrow," he said. "We always talk about adversity and we hope to come out and get that one, kind of like Wichita State (on Tuesday), after playing the way we did those last two games against Texas Tech (last weekend)."
Reach Curt McKeever at 473-7441 or cmckeever@;journalstar.com.
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