Nebraska Earns First-Ever CWS Berth

Lincoln -- The Nebraska baseball team earned its first-ever trip to the College World Series with a dramatic, come-from-behind victory over Rice in NCAA Super Regional action Saturday afternoon before a school-record 5,484 fans in the final game ever played at Buck Beltzer Stadium.

 

Nebraska, which improved to 50-14 overall, produced six runs and five of their eight hits in the ninth and 10th innings to secure the win. The Huskers, who extended their winning streak to nine games, are a perfect 5-0 in the 2001 NCAA Tournament and a 14-10 all-time NCAA Tournament mark.

Rice ended its season with a 47-20 record.

Trailing 5-3 after eight innings, the Huskers started their rally with one out in the top of the ninth. Jeff Blevins drew a walk, then advanced to second on a one-out single from Will Bolt. Jeff Leise loaded the bases with a bloop single that landed just in front of Rice right fielder Billy Jacobson. Adam Stern then ripped a 3-2 pitch to left field for a single that scored Jed Morris and Blevins to tie the score at 5-5.

With two NU runners on and one out, Rice Coach Wayne Graham pulled starter Kenny Baugh, who threw 8.1 innings, allowing six hits and five earned runs while striking out 11 and walking seven. Junior right-hander Philip Tribe went to the mound to face John Cole, who responded by slugging in the go-ahead run with a single to center that plated Leise for the 6-5 advantage. A catcher?s interference call against Rice loaded the bases for Nebraska, but the Huskers stranded all three runners, as Phillip Barzilla struck out Matt Hopper and got pinch hitter Josh Hesse to ground out to short to end the inning.

A.J. Porfirio kept the Owls alive with a leadoff homer to right off NU closer Thom Ott, who had allowed just three home runs before Porfirio?s second blast of the day. Ott retired the next three batters to send it to extra innings.

The Huskers sealed the victory with a three-run 10th inning. Morris was hit by a Barzilla pitch to start the inning. NU?s Brandon Eymann singled, and Bolt drew a walk to load the bases for Leise. The sophomore centerfielder smacked an RBI single to right, driving in Morris for the 7-6 lead. Eymann scored on Stern?s RBI groundout to second, advancing Leise and Bolt. Cole then reached on an error by the shortstop, scoring Bolt with the game?s final run.

Ott (5-2) held the Owls scoreless in the bottom of the 10th, as Jesse Roman and Matt Fox flew out to pull the Huskers within one out of advancing to the CWS. Billy Jacobson and Brian Bormaster both singled to keep Rice?s hopes alive, but Austin Davis hit a fly ball into shallow left center that Bolt grabbed for the final out.

Ott threw two innings, allowing one run on three hits while striking out three to pick up the win for Nebraska. Barzilla took the loss for the Owls, falling to 0-2 overall.

After mustering just three hits in Friday?s 7-0 Nebraska win, Rice came out swinging early against Husker starter Brian Rodaway Saturday. The Owls took a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first after Baugh struck out the side in the top of the inning. Davis led off with a single to left center, before Porfirio followed with his 10th homer of the season, a two-run blast over the right field fence.

The Huskers cut the lead to one run in the top of the second when Baugh walked the bases loaded, struck out two, then walked in a run. But Nebraska stranded three runners when Leise went down on a called strike, and the Owls regained their two-run advantage in the bottom of the inning. Roman and Jacobson both singled, prompting the Huskers to pull Rodaway after 1.1 innings, his shortest outing of the season.

Jamie Rodrigue entered in relief, allowed Roman to score on a wild pitch and walked two to load the bases again. The Huskers threw out Porfirio at second to end the inning. Rodrigue calmed the Rice bats the rest of the way, allowing just one earned run over 6.2 innnings by scattering five hits and walking three with seven strikeouts.

NU cut the lead to one again in the top of the third with a one-out RBI single from Dan Johnson that scored Cole, who had doubled to left.

Rice halted the Huskers? momentum with a two-run effort in the bottom of the third.The Owls put runners on the corners with back-to-back singles from Phillip Ghutzman and Roman. Fox reached on a fielder?s choice as Ghutzman scored and Bolt threw Roman out at second. Fox advanced to second on a wild pitch, then took third on a passed ball before Jacobson sent him home with a two-out RBI double that made it 5-2.

Meanwhile, Baugh retired 12 straight Nebraska batters until Morris? one-out bloop single to left in the seventh. Morris stole second, advanced to third on a ground out to short by Bolt, and scored on a passed ball to make it 5-3.

Nebraska Notes
--Nebraska, which improved to 50-14 overall, extended its winning streak to nine games, including 5-0 in the NCAA Tournament.

--The crowd of 5,454 at Buck Beltzer Stadium was the largest in school history, surpassing the 5,353 fans vs. Rice Friday.All five of Nebraska?s NCAA Tournament games have resulted in the five largest crowds in school history.

--Nebraska improved to 14-10 all-time in NCAA Tournament play.

--In four NCAA Tournament games, Nebraska has stolen 16 bases and 121 stolen bases on the season.

--The Huskers struck out 11 times, tying a season-high set at Rice Feb. 9, and at Texas A&M April 28.

--Senior lefthander Brian Rodaway lasted just 1 1/3 innings, his shortest start of the season. The shortest start of his career was 1.0 innings vs. North Dakota State March 28, 2000. He allowed two earned runs on four hits and a home run. Rodaway has given up six home runs in his last five outings.

-- Jamie Rodrigue made just his second relief appearance of the season and the third of his career. He came in the second, inheriting his first runners of the year.

--The Huskers failed to score in the first inning for the first time in four games as Rice pitcher Kenny Baugh struck out the side. Nebraska?s streak dated back to the Big 12 Championship game against Texas on May 20.

--Nebraska didn?t put a ball in play until the 11th batter of the game (Adam Stern in the second innings).

--NU recorded eight hits total, three in innings 1-8, and five in the 9th and 10th innings.

--Matt Hopper went 0-for-4, snapping a season-high 11-game hitting streak.

--Jeff Leise and John Cole each extended their hitting streaks to eight games.

--The 7-8-9 batters scored six of NU?s final seven runs.

--The Huskers scored five or more runs for the ninth straight game.

--With three stolen bases in 10 innings today, the Huskers have stolen 19 stolen bases in five NCAA Tournament games and 124 on the season.

Rice Quotes (Game One)
Coach Wayne Graham
On Nebraska?s come-from-behind victory:
?You have to give Nebraska credit. They battled hard all day, and they never gave up. They laid off of the bad pitches and won the game. The thing that has hurt us all season has been our defense, and that?s what hurt us today. I hope they win the national championship.?

On Rice Pitcher Kenny Baugh:
He?s our best. He didn?t have one of his better outings today. Nebraska just got the bat on the ball, and towards the end of the game, Kenny still seemed to be throwing well, and that?s why I left him in there.

Kenny Baugh
On his performance:
?I felt strong today. I did struggle with my control a little and walked to many. It wasn?t one of my best outings, but towards the end of the game, I still felt strong and confident. I just wasn?t hitting my spots and had some bad breaks, and that?s how it goes sometimes in baseball.?

Rice Notes
--Kenny Baugh?s start today was the 67th of his career, surpassing current teammate Jeff Nichols? 66 career starts. The start was Baugh?s 21st of the year, which ties the single-season games started record set by Nichols in 1999.

--With 8.1 innings today, Baugh finished his career with 460.1 innings pitched, a Western Athletic Conference record. Thre previous record was 457.2 by Craig Swan of Arizona State (1969-1972).

--Baugh produced his 11th double-digit strikeout total of the season with 11 K?s, which extended his career record to 447 and his season record to 163. His seven walks were a season-high.

-- A.J. Porfirio produced his first multiple-home run game of the season with two on Saturday. The first, a two-run blast in his first at bat of the game, came against NU starter Brian Rodaway. The second, which tied the game at 6-6 in the bottom of the ninth, was against Nebraska closer Tom Ott. It was just the fourth homer Ott has allowed this season