The Nebraska baseball team did what it needed to do against a team with a strong bullpen. It struck early.
But Illinois answered behind a pair of homers, and the Huskers were unable to come back with a response of their own. NU posted zeros on the scoreboard over the final eight innings in falling 5-2 to the Illini on Thursday in Champaign, Illinois.
NU's Big Ten Tournament hopes, which were already on life support entering the final series of the regular season, took a hit that might be hard to recover from.
Indiana rallied to beat Maryland 6-5, which means the Huskers remain alive for the eight-team tournament in Omaha.