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Gamecocks eliminate NU, 10-8
Omaha -- The Nebraska baseball team suffered a season-ending 10-8 loss to South Carolina in a College World Series elimination game Sunday afternoon at Rosenblatt Stadium.
The defeat brought to a close one of the most successful seasons in school history, as the Huskers secured their second-straight trip to Omaha and finished 2002 with a 47-21 record. The loss moved the Huskers to 0-4 all-time in the College World Series and marked fourth time that they have lost by two runs or less in the CWS.
"The key to the ball game was the two big two-out hits that drove in two runs," NU Coach Dave Van Horn said. "We've been telling our kids all year that we need to punch runs across the plate, and we left a lot of runners out there today. We made some defensive errors that cost us runs, and the pitchers were in jams all day long.
"But I told the team that I won't shed one tear over this season. If I were going to shed a tear, it would have been 25 games ago when we were about 30-17. We were struggling and didn't know where we would go. This team has been the most over- achieving team I've ever coached. We don't have a lot of speed, we don't have a lot of power, and we've had some bullpen problems that showed up here. But we've played with a lot of character and a lot of heart and a lot of guts. But I think the kids were pretty disappointed that we didn't get a win today."
The Huskers led 4-0 after the third and 7-5 after the fourth inning, but trailed 8-7 with two outs in the bottom of the eighth. Big 12 Player-of-the-Year Jed Morris responded, launching a 1-1 pitch high into the right field grandstands for his team-leading 23rd home run of the season. With the solo shot, Morris notched his 90th RBI of 2002 and moved into a tie for first with Mike Duncan on the NU single-season chart. Jeff Blevins then grounded out to first to end the inning.
Nebraska stayed with freshman lefthander Jeremy Becker in the top of the ninth. The Scottsbluff, Neb., native froze Jon Coutlangus, walked leadoff hitter Drew Meyer, then struck out Justin Harris. But Yaron Peters sent a 2-2 pitcher over the right-center fence to give South Carolina a 10-8 advantage. Steve Thomas popped up to Will Bolt at second to end the top half of the inning.
The Huskers missed on their final opportunity to score in the bottom of the ninth. Justin Seely led off and struck out before catcher John Grose, working with a 3-1 count, fouled off four straight pitches before sending a single to left. But Bolt and Brandon Eymann both flied out to right field to end the game and the season for the Huskers.
Becker (2-2) took the loss for Nebraska, tossing the final 1.2 innings and allowed two earned runs on two hits. Husker starter Brian Duensing lasted 3.0 innings and allowed four runs on six hits. John Wesley (2-0) picked up the win for South Carolina (54-17), throwing the last 3.2 innings and allowing one run on two hits while striking out three NU players.
Offensively, NU was led by senior third baseman Jeff Blevins, who went 3-for-4 with a double, a home run and two RBIs.
Leading 1-0 after the second inning, the Huskers opened a 4-0 lead in the bottom of the third. After Jeff Liese reach on a leadoff single and tied the NU and Big 12 single-season record with his 109th hit of 2002, Daniel Bruce smacked a 0-1 pitch past the left-center fence for a two-run home run. The roundtripper was his fifth of the season and increased NU's lead to 3-0. After Morris flied out to right, Blevins, working with a full count, sent a shot to right-center for a solo homer to make it 4-0, Nebraska.
South Carolina finally answered in the top of the fourth. With runners on second and third and no outs, Garris Gonce laced a run-scoring single to shallow left field. Trey Dyson and Kevin Melillo both produced an RBI single. Van Horn pulled Duensing for lefthander Aaron Marsden, but the Gamecocks continued to attack. Dyson scored on and error, and Landon Powell crossed the plate on a two-out single by Justin Harris to give USC its first lead of the game at 5-4.
Nebraska regained control in the bottom of the fourth. Bolt led off and reached on infield single. Brandon Eymann then ripped a single down the right field line to advance Bolt to third. Joe Simokaitis smacked a double to center, plating Bolt. Bruce drew a one-out walk to load the bases for Morris, who responded with an RBI single to right. Left-handed reliever David Marchbanks gave up a bases-loaded walk to Blevins, bringing in Simokaitis to give Nebraska a 7-5 lead.
The Gamecocks evened the score in the top of the sixth. Marsden struck out Melillo, but walked Powell and gave up a double to leadoff hitter Drew Meyer, prompting Van Horn to bring in Steve Hale. Justin Harris reached on a fielder's choice, as the Huskers got Powell in a rundown at third. After Yaron Peters walked, Steve Thomas laced a two-run single down the left field line to make it 7-7.
After left-handed reliever Waylon Byers gave up a double to Harris to lead off the top of the eighth, Van Horn signaled for Jeff Blaesing. The senior righthander walked Peters, and got Thomas to fly out to center, putting runners on the corners with one out. Van Horn then brought Becker to the mound. Brian Bucscher sent a chopper to first and was safe on an error by Eymann, as Harris scored from third to give the Gamecocks an 8-7 lead. Gonce singled to load the bases for Dyson, who flied out to left. Powell grounded to short, and the Huskers threw out Gonce at second on the play for the third out.
Postgame notes
• After making its second consecutive trip to the College World Series, Nebraska is still looking for its first-ever win, as it is now 0-4 all-time in CWS play. NU had lost three straight one-run games at the CWS � dropping contests to Cal State Fullerton, 5-4, and Tulane, 6-5, in 2001, and to Clemson, 11-10, on Friday � before falling by two runs, 10-8, today against the Gamecocks.
• Eleven of Nebraska�s 21 losses this season came on the opponent�s last at-bat, including today�s 10-8 defeat as Yaron Peters hit a two-out, two-run homer in the top of the ninth to break an 8-8 tie.
• Junior Jed Morris� two-out solo home run in the bottom of the eighth inning, which tied the game at 8-8, was his team- and Big 12 Conference-leading 23rd of the season and moved him into a tie for second on the Nebraska single-season home run list. Morris is now tied with Ken Harvey, who had 23 in 1999, and trails only the 25 home runs by Dan Johnson last year.
• Morris� RBI on the home run pushed him into a tie on the NU single-season RBI list, as he recorded 90 in 2002. He also had an RBI-single in the bottom of the fourth inning. He shares the record with Mike Duncan, who also had 90 RBIs in 1985.
• True freshman left-hander Brian Duensing made his first start in the NCAA postseason Sunday against South Carolina. Duensing�s last start prior to facing the Gamecocks was May 26 against Texas in the Big 12 Tournament.
• Duensing was 1-1 in two relief appearances in the NCAA Tournament, going 11.2 innings and allowing six hits and three runs prior to Sunday�s tilt. Against the Gamecocks, he went 3.0 innings giving up six hits and four runs with two strikeouts and two walks in tying his shortest start of the year. Each of Duensing�s last three starts have been only 3.0 innings, while his last two relief appearances have been 6.2 vs. UW-Milwaukee and 5.0 vs. Richmond.
• Third baseman Jeff Blevins cranked his third double of the CWS with a second-inning shot to the gap in left center. Blevins had two doubles in Friday�s loss. Blevins had just 11 doubles this year entering the College World Series.
• After hitting a solo home run in the third inning, Blevins led the Huskers with five hits in eight at-bats during the 2002 CWS, all of which are for extra bases (three doubles, one home run) except his sixth-inning single today. He also led NU in runs scored with four, scoring twice in each contest. The home run was Blevins� seventh of the year, including the third in the NCAA Tournament and second in four games.
• Blevins finished the day 3-for-4 with a walk, two runs and two RBI. It was his fifth three-hit game of the season, and first since April 30 against Wichita State (3-for-5)
• Center fielder Jeff Leise�s single to center to start the third inning was the 109th this season, tying the NU school record and Big 12 record, originally set in 1997 by Francis Collins. He is one hit ahead of Texas Tim Moss, who next plays Monday.
• Right fielder Daniel Bruce followed Leise�s single with a blast to the left field stands, putting NU ahead 3-0 in the third. It was Bruce�s fifth home run of the season and first in 18 games since blasting one against Texas on May 5 . It was just his fifth extra-base hit in that span.
• Freshman shortstop Joe Simokaitis extended his current team high and personal season-high hitting streak to six games, with an RBI double to the gap in right field in the fourth inning. Simokaitis, who ended an 0-for-24 slump in the NCAA Regional final game against Southwest Missouri State, finished CWS play going 2-for-5 and was 9-for-20 in his final six games this season.
• Today�s game marked the ninth time this season Nebraska had hit at least three home runs in a game, and the second time in the postseason (also three HRs vs. UW-Milwaukee, May 31, NCAA Regional). Jed Morris has been a part of that eight times, while he and Bruce have hit homers in the same game three times this year (Bruce only has five home runs this year).
Source: University of Nebraska Athletic Dept.