The Nebraska softball team hit three home runs and scored in four of its five innings Thursday en route to an 11-2 run-rule victory over Minnesota in the quarterfinals of the Big Ten Tournament in Iowa City.
With the win, Nebraska (30-22) advanced to Friday's semifinal where the Huskers will take on Indiana at 4 p.m.
Billie Andrews homered twice to power the Husker offense with a 2-for-3 day that included three runs and four RBIs. Emmerson Cope hit a two-run home run and went 1-for-1 with a walk, a hit-by-pitch and three RBIs. In the game, eight Huskers scored a run, seven had a hit and six produced an RBI.
Sarah Harness (9-5) earned the complete-game victory, allowing two runs on just three hits.
Jacie Hambrick (6-10) took the loss for Minnesota (28-25). Hambrick allowed three runs in 2.1 innings.
Minnesota jumped out to a 1-0 lead when Big Ten Player of the Year Jess Oakland led off the game with a home run.
Nebraska answered in the bottom of the first when Sydney Gray singled with two outs before Cope blasted a two-run home run off the top of the scoreboard in center field.
The Huskers added to their lead with two runs in the bottom of the third. Katelyn Caneda nearly led off with a home run, as she hit a ball off the top off the wall in right center where Morgan DeBord perfectly played the ball off the wall and threw to second base to get Caneda out. Billie Andrews then hit a towering home run to left center to give the Huskers a 3-1 lead. Following the home run, Samantha Bland reached on an infield single and Cope and Ava Bredwell were each hit by a pitch to load the bases with two outs. Brooke Andrews then hit a ground ball to Oakland who went to step on the second base bag but it was ruled that Bredwell beat Oakland to the base and Bland scored to make it 4-1.
Nebraska scored three more runs in the bottom of the fourth without recording a hit. The Huskers drew four walks in the inning and were hit by one pitch. Cope drew a bases-loaded walk to score Bacon with the first run of the inning before a sacrifice fly from Bredwell scored Billie Andrews and made it 7-1.
Minnesota came back and scored one run in the top of the fifth. A pair of walks and a single loaded the bases with one out for Oakland, who had an RBI fielder's choice to cut the Husker lead to 7-2.
Nebraska ended the game early by scoring four runs in the bottom of the fifth. Brooke Andrews led off with a triple and scored on a sacrifice fly from Caitlynn Neal. Bacon then singled and Caneda walked before Billie Andrews hit a walk-off three-run homer to end the game early.
Post-Game Notes
- Nebraska won its 30th game of the season, its third straight 30-win season and the 24th time the Huskers have won 30 games under Rhonda Revelle.
- The Huskers have now advanced to the semifinals of the Big Ten Tournament for the third straight season. Nebraska is the only team who has made three straight Big Ten Tournament semifinals.
- Emmerson Cope homered in the first inning, her fourth home run in her last six games.
- Billie Andrews hit a pair of home runs to give her 60 career home runs. She is the first Husker and just the eighth player in Big Ten history to hit 60 career home runs.
- Andrews produced her eighth career game with multiple home runs. That is a Nebraska record, breaking the tie she shared with Tristen Edwards with seven multi-homer games.
- With the two home runs Andrews increased her total to 99 career extra-base hits. That is tied for the second-most extra-base hits in program history.
- Andrews' two hits increased her career total to 234 hits, moving her into sixth place on Nebraska's all-time hit list.
- Minnesota's leadoff home run to begin the game was the first home run Sarah Harness had allowed in 20.0 innings.