Nebraska bows out of Big 12 baseball tournament

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BY CURT McKEEVER

ARLINGTON, Texas — It was all too fitting, Nebraska's exit from the Big 12 Conference baseball tournament, and possibly the season.


A Husker team that didn't win more than one game in any of its final seven league series and opened play here by knocking off top-ranked Texas on Wednesday bowed out of the double-elimination event with two losses Friday.


After being done in by a masterful, complete-game performance by Oklahoma State's Spencer Grogan in a 7-1 afternoon defeat, NU failed to hold a three-run advantage  against the Longhorns and got bounced 6-5.

It now appears that Nebraska's hopes of receiving a sixth straight NCAA regional bid may not come to fruition. The Huskers, who are 36-23 after getting off to a 24-5 start, will have to wait until 11 a.m. Monday, when the 64-team postseason field is announced on ESPN2.


"I just don't want the season to end now," said a dejected and barely-audible Alex Gordon. "It feels like it shouldn't be over — if it is."


The sophomore third baseman played a big role in helping Nebraska take a 5-2 lead against the Longhorns, smacking his 18th homer, a three-run shot, off Kyle McCulloch in the first inning.


But trailing 5-3 heading into the seventh, Texas pieced together five straight one-out hits to hand Nebraska just its second loss in 28 games this season when leading after six innings.


The decisive rally started when Seth Johnston and Curtis Thigpen singled off reliever Dustin Timm. NU then went to right-handed sophomore Brett Jensen, who allowed a single to Taylor Teagarden that loaded the bases. Ryan Russ then singled off the glove of diving first baseman Curtis Ledbetter. The ball caromed far enough away to allow Thigpen to round third and beat a throw home from second baseman Jake Mullinax to tie the game.


Carson Kainer then doubled to left to give Texas its first lead of the contest. And with All-America reliever Huston Street firing the final 3 2/3 innings, the Longhorns weren't about to give it up.


Street, a right-handed junior, did give up his first extra-base hit in 131/3 career innings against NU when Chad Steele doubled to lead off the eighth. But after Steele moved to third on a groundout by Colin Shockey, he stayed there on a fly to shallow left field hit by Daniel Bruce. Street then got Jesse Boyer to hit an inning-ending ground ball, and retired the Huskers in order in the ninth.


"It seems like he's pitched for eight or nine years," Nebraska coach Mike Anderson said of Street. "We had our opportunity, though, and just didn't get it done."


After Gordon's homer, the Longhorns scored twice in the third. But NU answered in the bottom half on Ledbetter's two-run double.


Thereafter, Texas relievers Kyle Yates, Buck Cody and Street limited the Huskers to three hits.


Earlier Friday, the Huskers were no match for Grogan. After six innings, the junior left-hander had gotten 12 outs via ground balls. He eventually retired 15 straight before Steele singled with one out in the ninth to help produce the Huskers' lone run.


Grogan, who missed a start at Missouri last week with a sore shoulder, needed just 85 pitches to fire his seventh complete game of the year and improve to 12-2.


"They got themselves out. They swung early in the count," Grogan said of the Huskers. "I was just throwing strikes. I didn't feel like I had anything special today."


Anderson concurred.


"He did an outstanding job, but there's absolutely no way you can throw 85 pitches without getting some help."


Zach Kroenke, who lost for the fifth time in his last six starts, was nearly as effective over 71/3 innings. For the ninth time in his last 12 outings, he allowed no more than two runs.


But his effort, like the Huskers' against Texas, was simply outdone.


"That's what's most frustrating about this," Gordon said of the earlier-than-hoped-for exit. "We had the guys on the team to do it."


While Anderson wasn't interested in speculating about his team's fate, the look on his face made it clear what he's expecting.


"We told these guys coming in," he said, "we'd probably have to win this tournament (to get an NCAA bid)."


Reach Curt McKeever at 473-7441 or cmckeever@journalstar.com.