Baseball

April 24, 2001

Creighton Knocks off Top-Ranked Nebraska, 11-8, in 10 Innings

Lincoln - Chris Hinrichs two-run homer in the top of the 10th inning capped a three-run rally, as Creighton defeated top-ranked Nebraska, 11-8, in 10 innings in front of a crowd of 3,012 at Buck Beltzer Stadium Tuesday evening.

Tyler Davies' RBI double scored Scott Allen, breaking an 8-8 tie in the top of the 10th inning before Hinrichs' sixth homer of the season off Nebraska closer Thom Ott gave Creighton a three-run lead. Hinrichs' homer was the first that Ott has allowed out of the bullpen in his Husker career, as the Milton, Fla., native took the loss, allowing all three CU runs to fall to 3-1 on the season.

Allen and Davies has three hits apiece in the victory for the Bluejays, who improved to 17-22 on the season, while Nebraska, which has lost two straight after winning 17 of its last 18, falls to 34-10 on the season.

The Huskers staged an improbable comeback overcoming a 7-0 deficit after three innings. NU scored four in the fifth on two-run homers by Dan Johnson and Matt Hopper and tied the score at eight in the bottom of the ninth on a grand slam by Justin Seely's, his third homer of the season. Seely went 3-for-4 with a four RBI and two runs scored in a losing effort.

"We were very fortunate to get to extra innings," Nebraska Coach Dave Van Horn said. "I was disappointed in how our team reacted after tying the game. They acted like they won the game when we tied the score. I hope the main thing we got out of this game is that we learned something."

Johnson, whose Big 12 leading 17th homer of the season - two-run shot off CU starter Steve Grasley - finally got the Huskers on the scoreboard in the fifth, went 2-for-3 with a pair of walks, while Hopper added his fifth homer two batters later of Grasley, who allowed four runs on seven hits but was not involved in the decision.

"Creighton came out and really got after us early," Van Horn said. "If you don't play hard every day, you are going to get beat."

The Huskers, who moved into the top spot in this week's Baseball America poll on Monday, fell into a 7-0 hole, as the Bluejays scored seven runs in the third off Husker starter Jason Burch and Steve Hale. Burch allowed three runs on five hits in 2.1 innings, while Hale was touched up for four runs in just 0.1 inning.

The Huskers return to action this weekend, as NU travels to College Station for a three-game series with Texas A&M, a 7-4 loser to Southwest Texas State Tuesday evening.

Source: University of Nebraska Sports Information