April 11, 2003
Box Score
LINCOLN, Neb. -
The 20th-ranked Missouri baseball team had four two-out hits in the ninth inning, and sophomore closer Travis Wendte (Moore, Okla.) registered his Big 12-leading seventh save to lead the Tigers to a 4-3, come-from behind win at No. 8 Nebraska in the teams' three-game series opener Friday night.
The win extended Mizzou's winning streak to 13, which not only ties the team's longest since the 1988 squad won that many; it also is now believed to be the longest in the country following No. 1 Rice's loss to Lamar earlier in the week. In addition, the Tigers (25-8, 9-3 Big 12) have moved into sole possession of second place following Oklahoma State's 18-6 loss at home to Baylor. It was the first loss at home in 11 games this season for Nebraska (23-9, 9-4), which dropped from second to fourth in the league standings.
After junior OF Ryan Rallo (Chesterfield, Mo.) flied out to center and junior 2B Jeremy Hernandez (Aptos, Calif.) lined out to left to lead off the ninth, the Tigers went to work on their 3-1 deficit in front of a crowd of 5,911 - the largest regular-season crowd in the two-year history of Haymarket Park. Junior OF Kyle Johnson (Omaha, Neb.) lined a pinch-hit to right off Husker reliever Tim Schoeninger (2-2) in his first homecoming plate appearance. Freshman OF Tyler Williams (Delta, British Columbia) followed with a single through the right side, and senior OF Jayce Tingler (Smithville, Mo.) doubled both Tigers home to tie the game. Junior SS Ian Kinsler (Tucson, Ariz.) then hit an RBI single to center to score Tingler for the winning run. In all, Mizzou had seven of its 11 hits in the final two innings against the Huskers.
Wendte then went to work to save an solid performance by Tiger righty
Justin James (Yukon, Okla.), who posted his third straight win (6-3). Wendte struck out Matt Hopper - the Big 12's career leader in hits and RBI - on three pitches to lead off the ninth. He then induced a liner to center by Alex Gordon, and after a walk to Curtis Ledbetter, got Daniel Bruce to ground out down the first-base line to junior
Cody Ehlers (Stillwater, Okla.).
Mizzou got on the scoreboard in the eighth when Tingler and Kinsler hit singles to open the inning. Then with one out, Flanders singled off second baseman Jake Mullinax' glove. Kinsler was tagged out after being hung up between second and third, yet Tingler scored easily on the play.
The Tigers were able to get to the Nebraska bullpen by forcing Husker starter Aaron Marsden to make 130 pitches in his seven innings, including 70 in the first two innings.
Nebraska hit a pair of homers in the second inning to take a 3-0 lead. Ledbetter hit a 2-2 offering off James into the right-field bullpen to lead off the inning, and after Drew Anderson reached on an error, Matt Wells hit a two-run shot into left.
James settled down from that point on, not allowing a hit over the next five innings. He hit two batters in that span as his only baserunners. Anderson broke the hitless streak with two out in the seventh, yet was promptly caught stealing second by Flanders. James equaled his career-long outing by going eight innings and allowing five hits and two earned runs. He walked just one and struck out a pair.
"You can't expect to score three runs with two out in the ninth inning, especially starting from the bottom of the order," said Head Coach Tim Jamieson. "Our guys took advantage, though. We had our chances early on, and they did a great job of extending the count. If we don't, Marsden goes the distance. Justin James was very good tonight. He lost his concentration a little in the third, but he dialed it back and did a great job the rest of the way."
The Tigers and Huskers will play the middle game of the series on Saturday beginning at 2:05 p.m. Sophomore Garrett Broshuis (5-2) will toe the rubber for the Tigers against the Huskers' Quinton Robertson (5-1).
