Huskers Drop Finale to Missouri

Columbia, Mo. - Nebraska nearly overcame a five-run deficit, but the Huskers' comeback fell short in a 6-5 setback Sunday afternoon in Columbia.

Trailing 5-1 in the eighth, Cory Burleson's three-run homer - his first of the season - made it a 6-4 game before the Huskers nearly pulled out the game in the ninth.

With two outs and a runner on first, Cody Asche and Kale Kiser were hit by pitches by MU reliever Phil McCormick, loading the bases and putting the tying run in scoring position. Brad Buehler was summoned from the bullpen and hit Josh Scheffert to make it a one-run game, but Burleson, who had two hits and drove a career-high three runs on Sunday, could not complete the rally and struck out end the game. Buehler earned his first save of the season and dashed Nebraska's hopes to make the Big 12 Tournament in two weeks.

"Extremely disappointed on the weekend and today," Nebraska Coach Mike Anderson said. "I thought we put ourselves in position at times with the right people on the mound and at the plate, but we didn't execute. I'm glad we fought back and put ourselves in a position to win the game, but we didn't execute in getting the final run across in the ninth."

"I'm always somebody who is trying to find something to teach kids and learn from it," Anderson said. "Hopefully, there is something that can be taught from this weekend, and while it may not improve this baseball team, it can improve these kids."

The Huskers (23-27, 7-17 Big 12) out-hit Missouri, 10-7, but the Tigers (27-22, 10-13 Big 12) made the most of its opportunities, getting three of their hits in a five-run seventh to break open a 1-1 game. Jonah Schmidt and Connor Mach drove in two runs apiece, as Mach's two-run double off of Sean Yost was the back breaker in the seventh.

The game was scoreless until the top of the sixth when Cody Asche's RBI two-out RBI single gave the Huskers a 1-0 lead. With one out, Adam Bailey beat the infield shift with a double past third before Asche came through two batters later with an RBI single to score Bailey.

NU reliever Casey Hauptman had repeatedly got the Huskers out of jams after coming into the game in the third for starter Tyler Niederklein and had found his groove, retiring seven straight Tigers until Schmidt's seventh homer of the season - a solo shot to left - tied the score at one.

Hauptman ran into trouble in the seventh, as the Tigers loaded the bases without getting a ball out of the infield before cashing in with the big inning. Ryan Gebhart opened the frame with a walk before Michael Liberto's bunt single put two Tigers on with no outs, as Hautpman missed tagging Liberto on the play. After a sacrifice bunt, the Huskers intentionally walked Aaron Senne to load the bases and try to get a force play, but Jordan Roualdes walked Brett Nicholas, pushing across the go-ahead run for Missouri. Yost came in and gave up a sacrifice fly to pinch-hitter Andreas Plackis before a run-scoring single by Schmidt and a two-run double by Mach gave the Tigers a 6-1 lead.

"That was the key inning, and I thought we gave them four outs in that inning because we didn't execute the bunt defense as well as we should have," Anderson said. "Instead of one out and a runner on second, the bunt defense hurt us on that and ended up creating in a big inning for them."

Hauptman (2-5) took the loss, allowing four runs on three hits in 4.2 innings of work, while Tyler Clark (2-1) earned the win with 1.1 innings of relief.

The Huskers head to Omaha Tuesday night for the final matchup at Rosenblatt Stadium between the two teams. First pitch is set for 7 p.m. and tickets are available at Ticketmaster.com, by phone at 800-745-3000 or visiting Ticketmaster outlets in the state (Russ's Grocery Stores, the UNL Student Union and Younkers in Lincoln; Baker's stores in Omaha, Rosenblatt Stadium and at Morrison Stadium on the Creighton campus).

Notes: DJ Belfonte moved into 10th place on Nebraska's career hit list with his first-inning single, tying Daniel Bruce, who had 231 from 2002 to 2005...Asche now has 31 of his 52 RBIs in two-out situations after his sixth-inning RBI single.