Nebraska Cornhuskers baseball run-ruled into loser's bracket

It wasn't all that long ago that the Nebraska Cornhuskers baseball team was considered a possible host of a regional. It was just a few days ago they looked like they might be able to rally themselves to a Big Ten regular season title.

Now, Will Bolt's squad is going to need a win on Tuesday in order to stay in the conference tournament. They're going to need Brett Sears, who didn't pitch on Tuesday night ... for reasons ... to rescue them from going two and out.

In the process of the 15-2 loss to seventh-seeded Ohio State, the Huskers didn't even make it to the 9th inning of their first round Big Ten Tournament game.

Nebraska Cornhuskers baseball Big Ten tourney hopes hang by a thread

Whether it was Will Bolt's or Rob Childress's decision to start Jackson Brockett on two-days rest for the first day of the Big Ten Tournament, it didn't work out at all. Brockett lasted just three innings while allowing 7 hits and 3 earned runs.

An 8 run Ohio State, fourth inning was all that the Buckeyes needed. The contest was the largest run differential in Big Ten tourney games in 14 years. And that was a seven-seed beating up on a team that was a hair's breath away from being the top seed.

Now the Huskers will have to face off against Purdue in the loser's bracket. They will need to battle out of that bracket with one loss for the rest of the week and weekend.

Or they'll lose again in the near future and have to sit and wonder if their resume, a resume that has been quite tarnished since April 1, is enough to get into a regional. While they wait, they can sit and think about the disastrous starting pitching decision on Tuesday night.