Trailing 2-1 in the bottom the ninth, the Huskers put runners on second and third with one out, but could not plate the tying run. Colin Shockey opened the inning with a single and moved to third two batters later on Chad Steele�s single to left center. Pinch runner Mike Sillman eventually moved to second on a wild pitch, putting both runners in scoring position. McCutchen, who picked up his fifth save on the year, ended the Husker threat, striking out Jesse Boyer and getting Joe Simokaitis to fly out to center.

The Sooners (36-20, 19-8 Big 12) put up single runs in the first and third innings, giving starter Jarod McAuliff all the offensive support he would need. McAuliff (6-1) went the first five innings, allowing two hits before giving way to the OU bullpen.

In the first, Andrew McGuire walked before Russell Raley�s single put runners on the corners with no outs. Ole Sheldon then bounced into a double play, scoring McGuire with OU�s first run.

The Sooners struck again in the third, as Jeff Scuderi opened the inning with a bunt single and moved to second on Raley�s second hit of the game. Sheldon then lofted a fly ball to right that bounced off NU right fielder Daniel Bruce�s glove for a two-base error, allowing Scuderi to score and spotting the Sooners a 2-0 lead.

NU starter Dustin Timm was the hard-luck loser for Nebraska, allowing one earned run on five hits in four innings to drop to 2-3 on the year

Nebraska, which stranded 10 runners, finally got on the board in the eighth, as Jake Mullinax opened the inning with a double, moved to third on a fly out by Alex Gordon and scored on Curtis Ledbetter�s ground out to short, putting the Huskers within one.

Mullinax and Jesse Boyer had two hits apiece for Nebraska, which fell to 35-21 overall and 11-16 in the league. The loss spoiled an excellent effort by the Husker bullpen, which held the Sooners scoreless over the final five innings.

Justin Pekarek, one of five Husker seniors playing their last regular-season game at Hawks Field, highlighted the effort with three innings of shutout ball, as he extended his streak of consecutive scoreless innings to 27. Seniors Quinton Robertson and Mike Sillman each worked a scoreless inning of relief in keeping the Huskers within striking distance.

Nebraska is the eighth seed for the upcoming Big 12 Tournament in Arlington, Texas, beginning Wednesday. The Huskers will take on Texas, the regular-season champion and the tournament�s top seed, Wednesday evening at 8 p.m

Source: University of Nebraska Athletic Dept.