Trailing 9-8, the Huskers put together four straight hits, tying the game on Curtis Ledbetter�s double off Michael Cole. Jake Mullinax then doubled to the gap off of MU closer Mark Alexander, putting the Huskers ahead for good. Jesse Boyer, who came in the game as a defensive replacement in the eighth, added an insurance run with an RBI single. The run would be needed as MU scored on Tyler Williams� RBI single in the bottom of the ninth, but Colin Shockey struck out Jeremy Hernandez before pinch hitter John McKee fouled out to Ledbetter for the final out.

Shockey (1-0) earned his first collegiate win with 1.1 innings of relief. Cole, who had kept the Tigers in the game with 2.2 innings of no-hit relief, suffered his first loss of the year in a game that featured an eight-run inning by Nebraska and a frantic Tiger comeback during the three and a half hour contest.

John Grose went 2-for-3 with three RBIs, driving all three of his runs in the eight-run Husker fifth. Alex Gordon and Ledbetter had two hits apiece in the win, as Nebraska snapped a four-game conference losing streak.

The Tigers struck first in the bottom of the second. Ryan Rallo, who went 3-for-4 with three runs scored, doubled with one out and came home on Kyle Johnson�s RBI single to right one batter later.

The Huskers had one hit through four innings, but erupted for eight runs to chase MU starter Garrett Broshuis as the first eight Huskers reached base in the fifth.

Chad Steele opened the inning with a double before Grose tied the score with a RBI single. The Huskers used a single by Braden Keith and a fielding error by Broshuis to load the bases. Shockey broke the tie with a two-run single to center before back-to-back doubles by Daniel Bruce and Gordon chased the Tiger starter and gave the Huskers a 6-1 lead. Grose drove in his second and third runs of the inning with a two-run single to center off Tiger reliever Dustin Braud, giving the Huskers a seemingly commanding seven-run lead.

The Tigers chipped away at the Husker lead. MU scored a pair of runs in the sixth on RBI singles by Lee Laskowski and Ryan Rallo of NU starter Dustin Timm, who went a career-high 5.2 innings, but did not factor into the decision.

Timm, the fourth-year junior making his first Big 12 start, scattered seven hits and struck out a pair of Tigers. It marked Timm�s first start since March of 2002 and he left with an 8-2 lead.

The Tigers made the Huskers pay for a costly fielding error by Mullinax, scoring three runs in the seventh. Missouri used a wild pitch and RBI singles by James Boone and Laskowski to cut NU�s lead to 8-6. The Tigers used another Husker miscue in the eighth to score three times to take a 9-8 lead. NU closer Mike Sillman allowed a two-run double to Hernandez and an RBI single by Zane Taylor as MU scored five unearned runs on the two errors, setting the scene for a frantic finish in the ninth.

The Huskers return home on Tuesday evening when they play host to Creighton beginning at 6:35 p.m. Tickets for the matchup with the Bluejays are available by calling 800-8-Big Red or at Hawks Field 90 minutes before first pitch.

Source: University of Nebraska Athletic Dept.