A tight game got out of hand in an ugly fifth inning, and the Colorado Rockies were beaten by the St. Louis Cardinals 6-2 in St. Louis last night. Rockies starting pitcher Christian Friedrich was sailing along into the fifth, having given up just one run, but things went off the rails from there. Friedrich walked three batters, including one with the bases loaded, and was pulled from the game for Tyler Chatwood, who promptly allowed all three of his inherited runners to score. Tyler Colvin’s two-run homer in the eighth inning, his eleventh, provided the only Rockies runs. Carlos Gonzalez failed to record a hit for the Rockies, snapping his hitting streak at 12 games. The Rockies now head to our nation’s capital to open a three-game series against the Washington Nationals tonight. ESPN Radio 1410 has the call of the game, with pregame coverage at 5:30 and the first pitch at 6:05.

The North Platte First Nationals are aiming to snap a six-game losing streak at the Wild West Festival tournament in Hays, Kansas this weekend. After dropping both ends of a double header at Grand Island on Tuesday, the First Nationals own a 17-18 record. Their pool play begins this afternoon with games against Thomas More Prep and Fort Morgan, Colorado. On Saturday, they’ll take on the Kansas Crush and Great Bend, Kansas. Bracket play rounds out the tournament on Sunday.

Husker freshman second baseman Pat Kelly was named to Baseball America’s first-team All-Freshman squad. It’s Kelly’s third such honor of the postseason. He was previously named a freshman All-American by Collegiate Baseball and by the National Collegiate Baseball Writer’s Association. The last Husker to earn three postseason freshman honors was Matt Hopper in 2000. Kelly batted .313 with eight home runs and 37 RBI in his debut season as a Husker. The eight dingers were the most hit by a Nebraska freshman in a season in 12 years. Kelly was also big in the clutch for the Big Red, batting .367 with runners on base and .364 with runners in scoring position. The native of Red Wing, Minnesota was named the Big Ten Conference Freshman of the Week twice and was a third-team all-conference honoree.

The Husker women’s soccer team released their 19-game schedule for the 2012 season. Among the opponents are six teams who qualified for the NCAA tournament last season, including a non-conference home game against Virginia Tech and a Big Ten battle at home against Penn State. The Huskers open their season in familiar enemy territory on August 17, when they travel to Norman to take on the Oklahoma Sooners. Nebraska’s home opener comes two days after that against Drake.

(Jeremy Foote, Nebraska Sports Information) – The 2012 campaign kicks off on Friday, Aug. 17, in Norman, Okla., when the Huskers visit the Oklahoma Sooners for a 1 p.m. game at John Crain Field. NU leads the all-time series with the Sooners, 12-2-1, and it is the first meeting between the two programs since Nebraska left the Big 12 Conference following the 2010 season.

For the third straight year the Huskers will play host to 10 home games, including non-conference visits from Drake, Virginia Tech, New Mexico, Southeast Missouri State and Northern Colorado. NU opens play at the Nebraska Soccer Field on Sunday, Aug. 19, against the Drake Bulldogs at 1 p.m. The games against Virginia Tech and New Mexico take place during the Husker Classic, on Friday, Aug. 24 and Sunday, Aug. 26. Iowa State will also be in Lincoln that weekend, but will not play the Huskers.

Also during non-conference play, Nebraska makes a trip to Baylor on Friday, Aug. 31, after the two teams tied, 1-1, last year in Lincoln and the Huskers play the Cincinnati Bearcats for the first time in program history on Sunday, Sept. 2, at Gettler Stadium.

Big Ten Conference play opens on Friday, Sept. 14, with a trip to Evanston, Ill., to play the Northwestern Wildcats. The Huskers shut out the Wildcats, 3-0, last season in NU’s first ever Big Ten Conference event in any sport.

The Huskers then return to Lincoln for a game with Northern Colorado before hosting a pair of conference games against Purdue on Friday, Sept. 21, and Indiana on Sunday, Sept. 23.

Nebraska heads back on the road for three straight games against Michigan State (Sept. 28), Michigan (Sept. 30) and Wisconsin (Oct. 5). The Huskers will be looking to post roads wins at each school after the Spartans, Wolverines and Badgers each left Lincoln with a victory last season.

The premier home game of the season takes place on Friday, Oct. 14, when the Penn State Nittany Lions and reigning Big Ten Forward-of-the-Year Maya Hayes come to Lincoln for a 4 p.m. game at the Nebraska Soccer Field. The Nittany Lions have won or earned a share of the past 14 Big Ten women’s soccer regular-season titles. The weekend also includes a showdown with the Ohio State Buckeyes on Sunday, Oct. 14 at Noon. The Huskers beat the Buckeyes, 3-2, in Columbus last year in the first-ever meeting between the two programs.

Nebraska’s road schedule wraps up with a visit to Iowa City on Thursday, Oct. 18, to play the Iowa Hawkeyes at 7 p.m. and at Illinois on Sunday, Oct. 21, at 1 p.m. The Fighting Illini won the Big Ten Conference Tournament last year and return Big Ten Midfielder-of-the-Year Vanessa DiBernardo.

The regular season concludes on Friday, Oct. 26, with a visit from the Minnesota Golden Gophers on Senior Day. The Huskers won the first five meetings in the all-time series with Minnesota, before the Gophers won 6-3 last year at home.

Nebraska will look to be one of eight teams that qualifies for the Big Ten Conference Tournament, which is scheduled to be played in Bloomington, Ind., at Armstrong Stadium. Hosted over five days from Wednesday, Oct. 31 to Sunday, Nov. 4, the Hoosiers automatically earn a bid to the tournament as the host school. The winner of the tournament earns the conference’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.