April 13, 2003
LINCOLN, Neb. - Brandon Fusilier hit a double to left field to score Alex Gordon in the bottom of the ninth, leading No. 8 Nebraska to a 7-6 win over No. 20 Missouri in the rubber game of their three-game Big 12 Conference series on Sunday at Haymarket Park. The win was the second straight for the eighth-ranked Huskers (25-9, 11-4 Big 12) in their final at-bat, two days after No. 20 Mizzou did the same to Nebraska in the series opener.
Both teams spent the entire afternoon dealing with winds that consistently hit 25 mph and gusted over 30 from right to left. With the Tigers clinging onto a 6-4 lead heading into the bottom of the ninth, freshman righty Nick Admire (Lebanon, Mo.) walked Jeff Leise to lead off the inning and Joe Simokaitis singled up the middle. Admire got Matt Hopper, the hero of Saturday's Husker win, to line out to third for the first out. Junior 1B Cody Ehlers (Stillwater, Okla.) moved from his first-base position to set up a lefty-lefty matchup against Alex Gordon, who then hit an RBI bouncer over the glove of new 1B Tyler Williams (Delta, British Columbia). Curtis Ledbetter followed with a fielders-choice RBI when his slow grounder to second found everyone safe. Matt Wells then flew out to center before Fusilier's heroics.
"We've got no choice but to take positives out of this weekend and get better," Head Coach Tim Jamieson said. "This was a series that we could have swept, or been swept in. We just didn't get 27 outs today."
Nebraska's comeback was necessitated by Ehlers' fifth homer of the season, a two-run, two-out shot to left in the eighth to give Mizzou (25-10, 9-5) a 6-4 lead. Freshman 3B Zane Taylor (Kirksville, Mo.), who had reached two batters earlier on an error by Alex Gordon, preceded Ehlers home.
The Tigers scored a run in the first without a hit. Senior OF Jayce Tingler (Smithville, Mo.) drew a leadoff walk, moved to third on a balk and a wild pitch by Husker starter Zach Kroenke, and came home on an RBI groundout to second by junior SS Ian Kinsler (Tucson, Ariz.).
In the bottom half, after junior RHP Derek Roper (Elk City, Okla.) gave Jeff Leise a leadoff walk, he was able to induce Nebraska's seventh double play of the series when Joe Simokaitis hit a grounder to Kinsler.
Nebraska tied the game with a run in the fifth inning. After Chad Steele and Jake Mullinax hit back-to-back singles, Jeff Leise hit a ball deep to right. The sure home run got hung up in the strong winds, spinning Williams around in his pursuit of the ball. The ball popped out of Williams' glove, allowing Steele to score with an unearned run.
The Tigers took a 4-1 lead in the seventh when Mizzou's first three runners reached base against Hale. Junior OF Ryan Rallo (Chesterfield, Mo.) walked, and Ehlers followed with an RBI double to left-center. Junior OF Kyle Johnson (Omaha, Neb.) got a pinch-hit single to center to chase Hale. Ehlers was safe on a close play at the plate when Hernandez dragged a bunt down the first-base line, and two batters later with the bases loaded, Williams reached on an RBI fielders-choice that forced Kinsler at second.
In the bottom of the seventh, though, Roper got into trouble by allowing a leadoff single to left by Steele and then hitting Mullinax. Leise fouled off two sacrifice bunt attempts before swinging away at an 0-2 pitch that landed just over the left-center field fence for a three-run homer and a game tied at 4. Roper was then pulled for Admire.
The Tigers head home to step out of conference play this Tuesday, April 15, when Mizzou hosts Southwest Missouri State at 6:30 p.m. at Taylor Stadium/Simmons Field. For ticket information, call 1-800-CAT-PAWS (573-884-PAWS in mid-Missouri).