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Texas A&M
May 15, 2011
 
Huskers fall victim to the broom with a 3 game sweep by A&M
 
College Station, Texas — It was a game of inches for the Nebraska baseball team, as the Huskers could not take advantage of scoring opportunities in the early frames and a three-run Texas A&M sixth proved costly in a 5-1 loss Sunday afternoon.

The 11th-ranked Aggies (36-16, 18-6 Big 12) completed the three-game sweep with the win, putting the Huskers' postseason hopes in peril. Nebraska, which stands at 28-24 overall and 7-16 in the Big 12, now needs a sweep of Missouri beginning Thursday night and some help to reach the Big 12 Tournament in Oklahoma City in two weeks.

Krey Bratsen and Matt Juengel drove in two runs each, while Brandon Parrent tossed 4.2 innings of one-hit relief for the Aggies, who need one win over Texas next weekend to clinch a share of the Big 12 title.

Parrent (2-1) came up big for the Aggies in the fifth, getting Texas A&M out of a jam when it was clinging to a 2-1 lead. A pair of Nebraska hits sandwiched around a fielder' choice ended the day for TAMU starter Derrick Handley and brought the left-hander out of the bullpen.

Parrent walked Byran Peters on four pitches to load the bases, as the Huskers had the heart of their lineup coming up. The lefty settled down and got Cody Asche to strike out on a 1-2 pitch before Kash Kalkowski ripped a liner up the middle which was snagged by a diving Andrew Collazo behind second to end the threat.

"We had great opportunities today, but we didn't get the break we needed," Nebraska Coach Mike Anderson said. "What Kash did was exactly what you want in those situations and he got good swings. In the third, Kash just missed the (left field) line by inches and then hit it right at him after and in the fifth, the second baseman made a heck of a play. If either of those two plays are hits, two runs score and it's a different ballgame. I think those plays turned the momentum of the game."

The Huskers got up early, pushing a run across against Hadley in the top of the first. Freshman Michael Pritchard continued his hot hitting with a leadoff single before eventually coming around to score on a passed ball against Kevin Gonzalez. Pritchard, who is hitting .500 over the Huskers' last 11 contests, paced Nebraska with a 2-for-3 afternoon.

Texas A&M came right back, pushing across runs in each of the first two frames against Nebraska Jon Keller to take a 2-1 lead.

In the first, Tyler Naquin coaxed a leadoff walk and then moved up two bases on a Bratsen sacrifice bunt. Juengel then hit a fielder's choice to NU first baseman Kurt Farmer, who fired home but Naquin slide under the tag of Cory Burleson to even the score.

After putting the first two runners on and coming up empty in the top of the second, the Aggies got a timely two-out hit to regain the lead. With two outs and a runner on first, Collazo and Naquin, who walked four times but saw his 27-game hit streak snapped, drew consecutive walks to load the bases. Bratsen then pushed across the go-ahead run, legging out a single on a ball between first and second. Keller made a heads-up play to get out of further trouble, firing to Burleson at the plate and getting Collazo trying to score from second on the play.

The Huskers had chances to pull even in both the third and fifth innings, but Kalkowski was unlucky on both occasions.

In the third, a one-out double by Peters and an intentional walk to Asche put the Huskers in a prime spot. With a full count, Kalkowski ripped a Hadley offering down the left field line that was foul by a whisker. On the next pitch, the sophomore hit a smash that Aggie shortstop Kenny Jackson snared, beginning an inning-ending double play.

Keller (2-6) and Dylan Vogt, who came on in the fourth, got the Huskers out of jams before Nebraska was unable to capitalize on its best opportunity of the day in top of the fifth.

The Aggies got the breathing room they needed in the bottom of the sixth, scoring three runs off of the Husker bullpen. A leadoff walk to Jackson and a Collazo single put two on. Left-hander Tyler King came in to face Naquin, but the freshman uncorked a wild pitch to move before runners into scoring position before Naquin's fourth walk of the day loaded the bases. Brandon Pierce was brought in, but could not get out of trouble as a passed ball by Burleson made 3-1 game. Bratsen hit an run-scoring grounder to third to make it 4-1 before Juengel lofted a sacrifice fly to end the four-run outburst.

Nebraska was unable to draw closer, getting only one baserunner on in the final three innings against Parrent, who finished the after by retiring the final eight Huskers in order to improve his record to 2-4.

The Huskers begin the final weekend series of the season against Missouri on Thursday night beginning at 6:35 p.m.

Source: University of Nebraska Athletic Dept.