Tempe: It's All on the Line -- Huskers and Devils

By Jason Owens - June 03, 2007

The sun is setting in Tempe on what promises to be an electric night at Brock Ballpark.

Nebraska, on the heels of a complete game effort from Johnny Dorn in an 11-1 trouncing of Riverside, faces powerhouse Arizona State with a berth in the NCAA Super Regionals on the line.

The Sun Devils, known for their big bats that produce almost nine runs a game, have been winning with similar pitching efforts all weekend and start ace Josh Satow (11-3 2.72 ERA) tonight.

I'm honestly surprised to see Nebraska here after a pair of listless efforts on Friday and Saturday. Riverside clobbered the Huskers, 10-5 on Friday and Nebraska needed a five-run seventh inning to slip past Monmouth to stay alive on Saturday.

But a completely different Nebraska team showed up against Riverside this afternoon. They dominated what appeared to be a superior UC Riverside team in every aspect of play.

Dorn was locked in, striking out 12 while giving up five hits, six walks and just one run in nine innings. They'll need a similar effort tonight to get past the Sun Devils and their rowdy home crowd. They'll also need some help from their small but vocal contingent of fans in enemy territory.

With a win, ASU advances. If Nebraska wins, we play one more for all the marbles on Monday.