OKLAHOMA CITY ? Right before he was ready to undergo reconstructive surgery on his throwing elbow, Brian Duensing wasn’t sure if he’d ever be back on the mound again for Nebraska.

A year and two months later, he was pitching the Cornhuskers to a 1-0 victory over Baylor and a Big 12 Conference tournament championship Sunday.

After going eight innings in the Cornhuskers’ tournament opener, Duensing for the first time in his career came back on three days rest to start again – and he was brilliant. He carried a three-hit shutout into the eighth inning and Brett Jensen got the final four outs for his 12th save.

“Three days rest is tough, but I tried to go out there and battle for the team,” said Duensing, a 6-foot left-hander from Marysville. “I tried to do the best I could. : I didn’t think I had that much but I guess under the circumstances it was enough.”

With a bloop double to left field in the second inning, Lawrence High product Curtis Ledbetter tied a tournament record with hits in seven straight at-bats. Ledbetter grounded out to shortstop in the fourth to end the streak.

Duensing, who started the Cornhuskers’ final game of the 2002 season in the College World Series and tried to heal a torn ligament by rehab alone, lasted only four games in 2003. He had Tommy John surgery on his left elbow in March 2004 and spent the early part of this season working his way back.

Nebraska's baseball team celebrates with the championship trophy after defeating Baylor, 1-0. The Cornhuskers won the Big 12 Conference tournament championship game Sunday in Oklahoma City.

In Big 12 play, he struggled in back-to-back starts against Texas and Texas A&M, then was dropped from the rotation after a two-inning outing against the Bears in April.

He didn’t start again until Wednesday, when he gave up two runs in eight innings against Texas Tech. Jensen gave up three runs in the ninth inning as Nebraska lost that game 5-3 and fell into the losers’ bracket.

Cornhuskers coach Mike Anderson called on Duensing again for the title game and put him on a pitch count of 75 to 80 pitches. Duensing (7-0) threw 89 pitches – 52 for strikes – and didn’t allow Baylor (39-21) to get a runner past second base.

“It’s a gutsy performance,” Anderson said. “He just kept pounding the zone. Duensing was just great. He really attacked with his off-speed pitches well. I think he kept them off-balance with his change-up. I thought that was the best he threw it all year long.”

But the Cornhuskers – who scored 17 runs in a semifinal victory against Missouri – weren’t faring much better against Baylor starter Mark McCormick.

Nebraska (51-13) had runners on in each of the first five innings, but could never capitalize. McCormick (7-3) got inning-ending double plays in the first and second innings, and Josh Ford threw out Nebraska runners trying to steal to end the third and fourth.

Joe Simokaitis started the sixth inning with a single, but was eliminated on Alex Gordon’s fielder’s choice grounder to second. Ledbetter followed with a single, and Ryan Bohanan drew his third walk of the game to load the bases for Gerch.

On a 2-2 pitch, Gerch lifted a fly ball to right-center field and Gordon raced home as right fielder Trey Adams’ throw went to third base.

McCormick gave up one run on three hits and six walks in six innings.

“With six walks, it’s hard to keep a run from scoring, no matter what they do,” McCormick said.

Duensing struck out four and walked two and left to a standing ovation from a group of Nebraska fans clad in red behind the Cornhuskers’ dugout. The fans stood again as Jensen struck out Ford to end the game. The Cornhuskers mobbed out of the dugout to congratulate Jensen.

Wearing a Big 12 champions hat and T-shirt, Duensing’s comeback finally paid off.

“It’s very rewarding,” Duensing said. “Rehab sucks. That’s how it is. It’s hard work, and it’s painful, but the team was behind me the whole time. They kept trying to help me get better and pick up confidence. It’s even more satisfying to know that I helped the team get a win.”