Nebraska softball went 1-1 today in its midweek season debut at Bowlin Stadium. Huskers dropped Game 1 to Northern Colorado (5-3) but had a get-right game in a 10-0 win (five innings) over Maine in Game 2.
Huskers remain at the .500 mark with a 12-12 overall record. Northern Colorado is now 12-14, and Maine is 1-17 as NoCo also beat Maine (8-0 in five innings) in a game sandwiched between the Huskers' doubleheader.
Full game recaps below:
Northern Colorado 5, Nebraska 3
The Nebraska softball team was unable to come up with the clutch hit it needed in a 5-3 loss to Northern Colorado Tuesday afternoon at Bowlin Stadium.
The Huskers stranded 10 base runners in the game and were 0-for-9 with runners in scoring position and 0-for-4 with the bases loaded. Nebraska had a base runner in every inning but one with multiple base runners in five of its seven innings.
Nebraska was also just 2-for-15 with runners on base with one of those two hits being a two-run homer from Billie Andrews. Andrews finished 2-for-4 to extend her hitting streak to 18 games. Kaylin Kinney also had two hits for the Big Red, while Bella Bacon added Nebraska's other RBI.
Kinney (7-7) took the loss for Nebraska, allowing four runs in 4.0 innings. Caitlin Olensky pitched the final 3.0 innings and gave up only one run.
Isabelle DiNapoli (4-4) earned the win, allowing three runs (two earned) in 5.0 innings. Erin Caviness picked up her first save with 2.0 scoreless innings of relief.
In the bottom of the first, Nebraska loaded the bases with one out on a double from Brooke Andrews, a walk to Sydney Gray and a Northern Colorado error. Bacon then hit a ground ball to first and Northern Colorado threw home but was unable to get Andrews who scored the game's first run. Leading 1-0, Nebraska still had the bases loaded with one out but a strikeout and a lineout ended the inning.
In the top of the third, Northern Colorado loaded the bases with no outs. A sacrifice fly tied the game at 1-1. A two-out, two-run single then gave the Bears a 3-1 lead.
The Bears loaded the bases with no outs again in the top of the fifth. An RBI single stretched the lead to 4-1 before Olensky retired the next three batters to prevent further damage.
In the bottom of the inning Gray singled to lead off and Ava Bredwell followed with a walk. Bacon then hit the ball hard but lined into a double play. The next two Huskers reached to load the bases with two outs but a fly out ended the inning.
Northern Colorado then used three singles in a span of four batters to take a 5-1 lead in the top of the sixth.
In the bottom of the inning, Kinney led off with a single before Billie Andrews launched a two-run homer to left to cut the lead to 5-3.
Both teams were then retired in order in the seventh inning.
Postgame Notes
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Nebraska 10, Maine 0 (five innings)
The Huskers exploded out to an 8-0 lead in the first inning and never looked back, also scoring two runs on an error in the fourth to pave the way to the five-inning win.
They took advantage of an error to plate the first run, drew back-to-back bases loaded walks, and then Mckinley Malecha drove in two runs on a single to set up Billie Andrews for the big one. She roped a three-run bomb to center field for the 8-0 cushion, and starting pitcher Sarah Harness (W, 2-2) cruised to a complete-game shutout: 5.0 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 6 K on 71 pitches.
That first-inning homer by Andrews was her 52nd career home run. She is now just two HRs shy of tying the school record set by two-time All-American Taylor Edwards (54 HRs across the 2011-14 seasons).
Andrews entered the day on pace for 59 career HRs and was ranked 15th nationally in HRs per game this season. (She's now up to 9 HRs in 20 games.)
Andrews also entered the day ranked 17th among all active Division I players with 50 career homers. She had played at least 10 fewer games than each of the 16 players ranked ahead of her on the active home run chart, with the exception of Wichita State’s Addison Barnard.
Also: Andrews has already tied one Nebraska program HR record with seven multi-homer games to tie Tristen Edwards (2017-21). Andrews hit two HRs today in the Huskers' doubleheader – one apiece against NoCo and Maine, so she didn't record another multi-homer game, but she is continuing to rake and is the Huskers' biggest bright spot of the season through 24 games.
Huskers remain at the .500 mark with a 12-12 overall record. Northern Colorado is now 12-14, and Maine is 1-17 as NoCo also beat Maine (8-0 in five innings) in a game sandwiched between the Huskers' doubleheader.
Full game recaps below:
Northern Colorado 5, Nebraska 3
The Nebraska softball team was unable to come up with the clutch hit it needed in a 5-3 loss to Northern Colorado Tuesday afternoon at Bowlin Stadium.
The Huskers stranded 10 base runners in the game and were 0-for-9 with runners in scoring position and 0-for-4 with the bases loaded. Nebraska had a base runner in every inning but one with multiple base runners in five of its seven innings.
Nebraska was also just 2-for-15 with runners on base with one of those two hits being a two-run homer from Billie Andrews. Andrews finished 2-for-4 to extend her hitting streak to 18 games. Kaylin Kinney also had two hits for the Big Red, while Bella Bacon added Nebraska's other RBI.
Kinney (7-7) took the loss for Nebraska, allowing four runs in 4.0 innings. Caitlin Olensky pitched the final 3.0 innings and gave up only one run.
Isabelle DiNapoli (4-4) earned the win, allowing three runs (two earned) in 5.0 innings. Erin Caviness picked up her first save with 2.0 scoreless innings of relief.
In the bottom of the first, Nebraska loaded the bases with one out on a double from Brooke Andrews, a walk to Sydney Gray and a Northern Colorado error. Bacon then hit a ground ball to first and Northern Colorado threw home but was unable to get Andrews who scored the game's first run. Leading 1-0, Nebraska still had the bases loaded with one out but a strikeout and a lineout ended the inning.
In the top of the third, Northern Colorado loaded the bases with no outs. A sacrifice fly tied the game at 1-1. A two-out, two-run single then gave the Bears a 3-1 lead.
The Bears loaded the bases with no outs again in the top of the fifth. An RBI single stretched the lead to 4-1 before Olensky retired the next three batters to prevent further damage.
In the bottom of the inning Gray singled to lead off and Ava Bredwell followed with a walk. Bacon then hit the ball hard but lined into a double play. The next two Huskers reached to load the bases with two outs but a fly out ended the inning.
Northern Colorado then used three singles in a span of four batters to take a 5-1 lead in the top of the sixth.
In the bottom of the inning, Kinney led off with a single before Billie Andrews launched a two-run homer to left to cut the lead to 5-3.
Both teams were then retired in order in the seventh inning.
Postgame Notes
- Brooke Andrews doubled in the first inning to extend her hitting streak to eight games.
- Bella Bacon drove in a run in the first inning to extend her streak to five consecutive games with an RBI, the longest streak by a Husker this season.
- Billie Andrews singled in the fourth inning to extend her hitting streak to 18 games.
- Billie Andrews also homered in the sixth inning. The home run was the 51st of her career, three shy of tying the school record.
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Nebraska 10, Maine 0 (five innings)
The Huskers exploded out to an 8-0 lead in the first inning and never looked back, also scoring two runs on an error in the fourth to pave the way to the five-inning win.
They took advantage of an error to plate the first run, drew back-to-back bases loaded walks, and then Mckinley Malecha drove in two runs on a single to set up Billie Andrews for the big one. She roped a three-run bomb to center field for the 8-0 cushion, and starting pitcher Sarah Harness (W, 2-2) cruised to a complete-game shutout: 5.0 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 6 K on 71 pitches.
That first-inning homer by Andrews was her 52nd career home run. She is now just two HRs shy of tying the school record set by two-time All-American Taylor Edwards (54 HRs across the 2011-14 seasons).
Andrews entered the day on pace for 59 career HRs and was ranked 15th nationally in HRs per game this season. (She's now up to 9 HRs in 20 games.)
Andrews also entered the day ranked 17th among all active Division I players with 50 career homers. She had played at least 10 fewer games than each of the 16 players ranked ahead of her on the active home run chart, with the exception of Wichita State’s Addison Barnard.
Also: Andrews has already tied one Nebraska program HR record with seven multi-homer games to tie Tristen Edwards (2017-21). Andrews hit two HRs today in the Huskers' doubleheader – one apiece against NoCo and Maine, so she didn't record another multi-homer game, but she is continuing to rake and is the Huskers' biggest bright spot of the season through 24 games.
