AMES, Iowa -- Iowa State capitalized on Will Bolt's sixth-inning error, scoring
three unearned runs to break a 1-all tie, as the Cyclones handed top-ranked
Nebraska its second straight loss, 5-1, in front of 526 at Cap Timm Field
Sunday afternoon.
The Cyclones, 23-26-1 overall and 9-14 in the Big 12, managed just five hits, but
Ryan Wickham and Jason McNertney delivered a pair of run scoring hits with
two outs to capitalize on the Husker miscue in winning the final regular-season
game in the program's 109-year history.
"Iowa State did a great job all weekend and they deserve credit," Nebraska
Coach Dave Van Horn said. "They played hard and took advantage of every
opportunity we gave them. They played with emotion and got timely hitting the
past two days."
The Huskers, who clinched the Big 12 regular-season title on Friday, have lost
two in a row and are 41-14 overall and 20-8 entering the Big 12 Tournament in
Oklahoma City this week. The Huskers face ISU, taking on the Cyclones at 8
p.m. Wednesday evening at the Bricktown Ballpark.
The Cyclones struck first, scoring an unearned an off Husker starter Derek
Conte in the bottom of the first. With one out and runners on second and third in
the bottom of the first, Rob Conway grounded back to Conte, who caught ISU's
Beau Hampton between third and home. The Husker pitcher threw to Josh
Hesse, who apparently applied the tag and threw to second to complete the
double play, but third base umpire Curtis Alexander ruled that the Husker third
baseman missed the tag, allowing Beau Hampton, who had moved to third on a
passed ball, to score on the play.
Nebraska, which had a runner at third with two outs in the second and could not
score, had another golden opportunity in the fourth, as Dan Johnson was on
second with two outs before John Cole singled to center, extending his hit
streak to 20 games. ISU center fielder T.J. Bohn threw home to get Johnson out
at the plate for the final out of the inning.
The Huskers knotted the score at one, scoring an unearned run in the fifth off
ISU starter Mark Hanrahan. Jed Morris singled and advanced to second on T.J.
Bohn's error before moving to third on Jed Morris' grounder. With a 2-2 count,
Hesse fouled off six pitches before Hanrahan's next offering went to the screen
behind the plate, scoring for the tying run.
It would be the only run allowed by the Cyclone starter, who pitched into the
fifth. Hanrahan scattered three hits and struck out three to improve to 4-2 on the
season with the win.
Iowa State broke the tie, scoring three runs off NU reliever Bandon Penas, who
held the Cyclones off the scoreboard until the sixth, when ISU tallied three
unearned runs. With a runner on third and two outs, Brandon Cashman hit a
slow roller to the Husker shortstop, who misplayed it, allowing T.J. Bohn to
score from third to give ISU a 2-1 lead. Ryan Wickham increased the lead to 3-1
with an RBI double to left center off Penas before Jason McNertney singled off
Jeff Blaesing for the Cyclones' final tally of the inning.
Although he took the loss, Penas pitched well in relief, replacing Conte in the
first and throwing a season-high 4.2 innings of relief, allowing three hits on three
unearned runs to fall to 0-1 on the season.
In the seventh, the Cyclones manufactured their final run, as Hampton led off
the frame with a walk, stole second and eventually scored on Rob Conway's
RBI squeeze play,
The Huskers managed just seven hits, as no player had more than one hit, and
left eight runners on base.
"We left too many runners on base today and we didn't get timely hitting the
last two days," Van Horn said, as NU left 31 runners on base over the weekend.
The Huskers and Cyclones will meet for the fourth time this season in the first
round of the Big 12 Tournament in Oklahoma City Wednesday evening at 8 p.m.