March 13, 2004

Box Score

San Diego, CA- A monumental evening for the University of San Diego baseball program saw USD rally to score three runs in the ninth to force extra innings, before falling 5-4 to No. 19 Nebraska in the 12th. With the bases loaded and two outs and two strikes on USD's Freddy Sandoval in the bottom of the ninth, the junior third baseman hit a bases clearing double to right center field to tie the score at four. In the top of the 12th, Husker junior Daniel Bruce hit a solo homerun to left field off Tom Caple to allow Nebraska the victory in front of 19,482 fans at PETCO PARK.

Friday's game was the highest attended game in USD school history. San Diego (7-12) drops to 1-5 in one-run games this season and is winless in four extra inning games in 2004. Caple (1-4) suffered the loss for the Toreros, allowing his only hit to Bruce which proved to be the game-winner. Nebraska (7-3) escapes with the victory as reliever and sixth Husker pitcher on the night Brett Jensen (1-0) goes down as the winning pitcher of record.

Senior right-hander Kyle Collins worked into the seventh and struck out six. Nebraska third-baseman Alex Gordon hit a two-out two-run homer off Collins in the first inning allowing the Huskers an early 2-0 advantage. Both Freddy Sandoval and Josh Hansen singled for USD in the Torero half of the first, on sharp line drives to the outfield off left-handed Husker starter Zach Kroenke.

With the bases loaded in the top of the third, Nebraska extended its 2-0 lead when catcher Colin Shockey drove in Gordon and Jesse Boyer on a two-out base hit to left field. After Nebraska's two-run third, the combination of Collins and USD reliever Josh Butler threw six shutout innings to retire the Husker offense through nine to allow USD to make its comeback bid in the ninth.

San Diego had scored on Jose Ortega's single in the seventh and trailed by three runs entering the ninth. Exhausting Husker reliever's Jeremy Becker and Mike Sullivan, San Diego mounted a game-tying rally in the ninth. After Gain Ng was hit by a pitch to lead off the inning, Curtis chased Becker with a base hit to left field. Facing Sullivan, with two outs Joey Prast drew a walk and Freddy Sandoval doubled to right-center, setting off an extended celebration for USD.

The celebration would give USD momentum and San Diego again loaded up the bases in the 11th. Unable to come up with a clutch hit, Bruce hit a Caple breaking ball over the left field wall in the top of the tenth to give Nebraska the go-ahead run.