CSF starting pitcher Jon Smith kept the Huskers at bay through 5.0 innings, as he allowed four runs on seven hits while striking out seven without allowing a walk. But it was the Titans� bullpen which caused the most damage against Nebraska. Two pitchers combined to throw 4.0 innings of one-hit relief, striking out seven Huskers. On the night, NU batters struck out a season-high 14 times without being issued a walk, marking the most Husker strikeouts since March 10, 2000 against Kansas State.

�The difference was the way they pitched when we had runners in scoring position,� Nebraska Head Coach Dave Van Horn said. �They just took it to another level. We had a chance to win and just didn�t get it done. I thought we battled but came up on the short end.�

The Titans (47-16) got on the board first as CSF scored three runs in the first inning off Husker starter Shane Komine. David Bacani doubled to lead off the frame and moved up on Robert Guzman�s sacrifice before coming home on Jason Corapci�s RBI single. Corapci then crossed the plate as Aaron Rifkin drove Komine�s pitch over the left field fence for a 3-0 Titans lead. The three runs equaled Komine�s total runs allowed in the first inning of his contests all season.

But after that, the Honolulu, Hawaii, native settled down, allowing just three hits and two runs the rest of the way. Komine (14-2), who had his school-record 14-game winning streak snapped with the loss, finished going 8.0 innings with nine strikeouts and just one walk.

�Shane came out and struggled in the first; he was really hyped up and maybe a little nervous,� Van Horn said. �He was leaving the ball up high and they were hitting it hard, and it looked like it might be a short night for him. But he settled in and did a tremendous job the rest of the game. I couldn�t be prouder of Shane.�

With Komine settled down, Nebraska (50-15) battled back to tie the score at 3-3 with one run in the second and two in the third. Dan Johnson led off the second with a double down the left field line and moved up as Jeff Blevins reached on an error. Josh Hesse�s double to right then plated Johnson for NU�s first run of the game.

The Huskers� aggressiveness at the plate was just starting in the second, as NU recorded two more runs in the third with both coming via the home run. With one out, John Cole drove Smith�s offering over the wall to straightaway center field, clearing the 408-foot sign for his tenth home run of the year. One out later, Matt Hopper followed with a solo shot of his own, this one to left field to tie the game at 3-3. It was the 33rd home run of Hopper�s career, moving him into eighth place on the Huskers� all-time list.

After CSF added one in the bottom of third on Brett Kay�s RBI single through the right side, the pitchers dominated the fourth, as Komine and Smith each struck out the side. The following inning, NU tied the game for the second � and last � time, as Cole hit his second home run of the day, again to straightaway center field. The multiple-homer performance was the third of his career and gave the Huskers 79 home runs on the season, which ranks third in school history.

Bacani then led off the bottom of the fifth inning with a solo home run to left field, giving the Titans a 5-4 lead. But the lead would be more than enough, as the team�s combined for just three hits the rest of the way.

With the loss, Nebraska falls into the loser�s bracket, and will face Tulane (55-12) in the CWS� first elimination game this year. The Huskers and Green Wave will face off at 2 p.m. on Sunday, June 10. Nebraska will be the home team in the contest, as determined by a coin flip following today's game.

Nebraska will practice on Saturday, June 9, from 11:30 a.m. until 12:45 p.m. at the Sandlot at 192nd and Dodge in Omaha.

Source: University of Nebraska Athletic Dept.