The Husker’s bats came out in the 4th and 9th but ASU was all over the usually rock-solid NU pitching staff today as the Sun Devils prevail 8-7 in 11 innings.

Leading the charge from Arizona State was first baseman Jeff Larish who took the NU offerings to task and launched a CWS-tying 3 homeruns on the today including a crucial shot in the bottom of the 9th to send the game into extra innings.

The Huskers were down 5-3 going into the 9th but inched closer when Jesse Boyer scored on an Alex Gordon singled through the left side. Joe Simokaitis was then tossed out at third on a David Ledbetter bunt. Freshman Andy Gerch then stepped to the plate and launched a 3 run shot to left giving Nebraska a 7-5 lead.

Errors uncharacteristically plagued the Huskers today leading to a leadoff baserunner in the bottom half when Seth Dhaenens reached on an error by Jake Optiz. Dhaenens then stole second, advanced to third on a J.J. Sferra bunt and scored on a sacrifice fly by Joe Persichina. While Nebraska managed to clear the bases by doubling off Sferra on Persichina’s sacrifice, it brought Jeff Larish to plate and he promptly hit his 3rd shot of the game to deepest part of centerfield.

Both teams sent four to the plate in the 10th but neither managed to mount an offensive threat.

Nebraska stayed quiet in the top half of the 11th, with a foul out by Gordon, a single by Ledbetter, and strikeouts by Gerch and Bryce Nimmo. The Sun Devils started with leadoff single by Joey Hooft. A sacrifice bunt by Dhaenens then moved Hooft to second. A single by Sferra pushed the winning across the plate.

Nebraska is eliminated and Arizona State moves on face Florida needing two wins to advance to the championship.

To the consolation bracket go the Huskers. A disappointing loss that started out bad and just never turned around. Florida jumped to a 2-0 lead in the top of the first and never lost control of the game. Horn settled down after the leadoff double and the following homerun. But a 4 run fifth inning sealed the victory for Floriday.

Nebraska will face Arizona State again on Tuesday at 1:05 (CT) in an elimination game. No word out of the Husker camp on the starting pitcher yet, but the HuskerZone.com staff wouldn’t be surprised to Joba Chamberlain on 3 days rest.

Nebraska wins their first CWS game. Up next, Florida on Sunday at 6:05 pm (Central).

Not that we condone such activities, but the Las Vegas oddsmakers have instilled the Huskers and Tulane as a 3-1 favorites to win the College World Series.

The full list:
Odds to Win the College World Series
Nebraska 3-1
Tulane 3-1
Baylor 5-1
Tennessee 6-1
Florida 8-1
Oregon State 9-1
Texas 9-1
Arizona State 15-1

The details are set for the Husker’s ticket lottery.

Nebraska’s first game will be Friday at 6:05 pm. General Admission seats will be able to start lining up at 12:01 am on Friday (18 hours before first pitch). To avoid confusion, there will be two lines, one for the early game and one for the Nebraska game - attendants will be on-hand to direct folks to the proper line. Friday is a two-session day, which means the stadium will be completely cleared between games so trying to cheat your way in won’t work.

For the approximately 1,000 tickets which will go on sale Friday morning, a lottery system will be used. This is the standard concert-type lottery where one number will be chosen and tickets will sell from that number on. Numbers will be handed out starting at 7:30 am with the winning number drawn approximately at 8:40 am. Each person in line after the winning number will be able to buy 4 seats, payable by cash or check only. No credit cards will be accepted. Please note that the parking area will still be closed off for permitted vehicles only, so it is recommended that you arrive slightly early to find a spot and get to the ticket window to obtain your lottery number.

Sunday’s lottery will likely follow the same schedule unless the situation is problematic on Friday. In which case their will be some revisions to the process.

A HuskerZone.com advisory to those already holding tickets. If you attended any of the Creighton/Nebraska games at Rosenblatt the past couple of years you already know to arrive at least an hour early in order to get in before first pitch. For the Husker’s CWS game, we highly recommend getting there at least 2-3 hours prior. This game has the makings of the highest attendance game in CWS history and combined with a end-of-rush-hour gametime, traffic will be a mess. If you are holding one of the coveted Parking Permits, remember that it does not guarantee a parking spot. The lot will likely be full as early as 10:00 am if not sooner.

Nebraska will play Arizona State on Friday, June 17th. The game time has not been finalized yet, although it is expected Nebraska will play the evening game. Win or lose, Nebraska will then play on Sunday. As soon as a full bracket is availabe, we will have it available right here at Huskerzone.com.

The big news from Nebraska’s bracket is the losses by defending champion Cal-State Fullerton, who lost to Arizona State, and the #2 seeded Georgia Tech who was swept by the Tennessee Vols. The Huskers will enter the CWS as the top seeded team in their bracket. With the way the pieces are falling into place, Nebraska has the potential to put together a strong run in the tournament.

Husker fans are encouraged to show up in Husker Baseball gear and to leave the football gear in the closet. Please.

Recommended links for CWS information:
CWSOmaha.com

The Official Site of NCAA Sports

Tickets:
A limited number of reserved tickets are available the day-of at the Rosenblatt Ticket Office. Tickets go on sale each day at 10:00 am.

General Admission ticket books are available around town. These are first-come, first-served for the outfield bleachers. It is recommended that GA ticket holders get to the stadium rather early (recommended 3-4 hours before gates open).

The NU Ticket office will have approximately 700 tickets available on Monday, primarily reserved for player’s families and a lottery for baseball season ticket holders. Donors will also be considered based upon their Priority Points status.

We will have a temporary message board in place within the next 48 hours for buy-sell requests. Until then, feel free to use the comments section of this post.

The Huskers are headed to Omaha!

Nebraska 6 - Miami 3. Nebraska wins the series 2 - 0.

The Huskers (56-13) are headed back to Rosenblatt Stadium, this time as a favorite to win their first postseason game in Omaha after disappointing visits in 2001 and ‘02. So after collecting Big 12 Conference regular-season and tournament titles, a magical and historic season just reached its most significant milestone yet.

“Our kids, you could see it in their eyes,” NU coach Mike Anderson said. “You could feel it. You could sense it. They earned it. They deserved it, and they worked hard for it. It didn’t just happen this weekend. They’ve been working hard all year long.”

Nebraska closer Brett Jensen sealed the victory with a perfect ninth inning. He caught Miami shortstop Walter Diaz with a slider that nipped the outside corner of the plate for a called third strike, igniting a rush of red jerseys from the first-base dugout.

Jensen bounced into the arms of catcher Jeff Christy. Within seconds they were buried.

Full Story at Omaha.com

Nebraska is one win away from a return trip to the College World Series. Sophmore Joba Chamberlain threw a masterful 8 innings only allowing seven hits and one run in.

Miami’s lone run came off of a lead off solo shot by Paco Figueroa in the fourth. Nebraska quickly answered with Joe Simokaitis scoring from second on a mishandled Andy Gerch ground ball to 1st.

Daniel Bruce’s fifth inning solo blast put the Husker’s up for good and Jeff Christy scored on a Simokaitis line drive to add an insurance run. Miami wasn’t able to manage much of threat through most of the game. Husker reliever, Brett Jensen, finished the Hurricane’s off in the 9th.

Game 2 starts at 11:05 am on Saturday with TV coverage on ESPN. Nebraska will throw freshman Johnny Dorn against Miami’s senior southpaw, Brandon Camardese.

Nebraska Baseball takes another step closer to Omaha on Sunday by beating Creighton for the second time in as many days.

Next up for Nebraska is the Super Regional, in Lincoln, against Miami. The best 2 out of 3 series will send the winner to Omaha for the 2005 College World Series. Game dates and times will be announced on Tuesday, June 7.

Tickets:

To purchase tickets, call 1-800-8-BIG-RED beginning Monday, June 6th or order online at Huskers.com now.

General Admission (Grass Berm, Standing Room), All-Session tickets are $24 for Adults and $15 for Youths. Tickets for seats in the stadium are either sold out or unavailable at this time.

In a game marred by two lengthy rain delays and a furious rally by the Blue Jays that fell just short in the bottom of the 9th, Nebraska defeats Creighton 10-8.

Creighton will play NC State on Sunday at 1:05 Central Time in a rematch of their Friday contest. The winner will advance to play Nebraska at 6:05. In the event of a Nebraska loss in the night game, the second game for the championship will be played Monday at 1:05.