Childress doesn't regret decision to keep Jensen on mound
OMAHA It's quite possible that baseball code keepers like George Will or Bob Costas might have found fault with what Nebraska pitching coach Rob Childress did Tuesday.
Not only did he bring in his right-handed closer Brett Jensen with two left-handers coming up, but he brought him in to get seven outs.
That's a lot of outs for a closer.
But being that Nebraska was on the brink of elimination against Arizona State at the College World Series, Childress was not about to apologize for the move after the 8-7 extra-innings loss at Rosenblatt Stadium.
"That's our guy. Jensen's our guy," Childress said. "If we're going to lose, I want to lose with our best guy on the mound and without a doubt Jensen's our best guy."
Some might say the move backfired. After all, ASU's Travis Buck and Colin Curtis ended up getting singles against Jensen to score two runs in the inning and give the Sun Devils a 5-3 lead.
Of course, if Husker infielders Curtis Ledbetter and Ryan Wehrle don't miscommunicate and let what should have been a routine foul pop-fly drop, Jensen gets out of the inning unscathed and Childress looks like a genius.
Jensen who replaced starter Zach Kroenke ended up pitching 31/3 innings, going all the way into the 11th.
The one pitch he will forever remember of the 45 he threw is a first-pitch fastball he sent the way of Jeff Larish in the ninth inning with NU up 7-6 and one out from victory.
Larish battered the ball over the center-field wall for his third home run of the game, which tied the score and ultimately burned the Huskers.
"I just wanted to come back with a good pitch," Jensen said. "He hit a good pitch, and it went out."
Husker center fielder Daniel Bruce actually thought the Larish homer was not much more than a basic fly out.
"I actually took kind of a step sideways if not in, and then I realized it was carrying quite a bit," he said.
Despite the home run, Jensen came back strong in the 10th inning to retire the Sun Devlis in order.
"He's got a short memory," Childress said. "He just goes out there and throws it over the plate and whatever happens happens. It's too bad he got tagged with the loss."
Jensen picked up the loss due to the 11th-inning leadoff single by Joey Hooft. After that hit, he was taken out of the game in favor of left-hander Tony Watson. Two batters latter, J.J. Sferra singled home Hooft on a bloop hit for the win.
"We thought, Hey, let's let Jensen go out (for the 11th). If he gets the righty (Hooft), let him stay,'" Childress said. "Go one hitter at a time and have Watson ready to go.'"
Watson's pitch on the game-winner was a slider down and away. Sferra was able to get just enough bat on the ball to lift it over Husker second baseman Jake Opitz.
"Shoot, Tony made a great pitch," Childress said. "Sferra did a nice job of getting it to the outfield."
While that was the hit that finished off the Huskers, it's the ninth inning Childress will probably take as the lingering memory from this game. Nebraska rallied from a two-run deficit, only to watch ASU do the same in the inning's bottom half.
"It was probably the most exciting game I've ever been a part of in the top of the ninth inning," he said, "and probably one of the toughest in the bottom of the ninth."
Reach Brian Christopherson at 473-7438 or bchristopherson@journalstar.com.
Not only did he bring in his right-handed closer Brett Jensen with two left-handers coming up, but he brought him in to get seven outs.
That's a lot of outs for a closer.
But being that Nebraska was on the brink of elimination against Arizona State at the College World Series, Childress was not about to apologize for the move after the 8-7 extra-innings loss at Rosenblatt Stadium.
"That's our guy. Jensen's our guy," Childress said. "If we're going to lose, I want to lose with our best guy on the mound and without a doubt Jensen's our best guy."
Some might say the move backfired. After all, ASU's Travis Buck and Colin Curtis ended up getting singles against Jensen to score two runs in the inning and give the Sun Devils a 5-3 lead.
Of course, if Husker infielders Curtis Ledbetter and Ryan Wehrle don't miscommunicate and let what should have been a routine foul pop-fly drop, Jensen gets out of the inning unscathed and Childress looks like a genius.
Jensen who replaced starter Zach Kroenke ended up pitching 31/3 innings, going all the way into the 11th.
The one pitch he will forever remember of the 45 he threw is a first-pitch fastball he sent the way of Jeff Larish in the ninth inning with NU up 7-6 and one out from victory.
Larish battered the ball over the center-field wall for his third home run of the game, which tied the score and ultimately burned the Huskers.
"I just wanted to come back with a good pitch," Jensen said. "He hit a good pitch, and it went out."
Husker center fielder Daniel Bruce actually thought the Larish homer was not much more than a basic fly out.
"I actually took kind of a step sideways if not in, and then I realized it was carrying quite a bit," he said.
Despite the home run, Jensen came back strong in the 10th inning to retire the Sun Devlis in order.
"He's got a short memory," Childress said. "He just goes out there and throws it over the plate and whatever happens happens. It's too bad he got tagged with the loss."
Jensen picked up the loss due to the 11th-inning leadoff single by Joey Hooft. After that hit, he was taken out of the game in favor of left-hander Tony Watson. Two batters latter, J.J. Sferra singled home Hooft on a bloop hit for the win.
"We thought, Hey, let's let Jensen go out (for the 11th). If he gets the righty (Hooft), let him stay,'" Childress said. "Go one hitter at a time and have Watson ready to go.'"
Watson's pitch on the game-winner was a slider down and away. Sferra was able to get just enough bat on the ball to lift it over Husker second baseman Jake Opitz.
"Shoot, Tony made a great pitch," Childress said. "Sferra did a nice job of getting it to the outfield."
While that was the hit that finished off the Huskers, it's the ninth inning Childress will probably take as the lingering memory from this game. Nebraska rallied from a two-run deficit, only to watch ASU do the same in the inning's bottom half.
"It was probably the most exciting game I've ever been a part of in the top of the ninth inning," he said, "and probably one of the toughest in the bottom of the ninth."
Reach Brian Christopherson at 473-7438 or bchristopherson@journalstar.com.
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