Sunnyvale, Calif. --- The No. 20 Nebraska softball came back from a rough start on Friday to capture the eight-team National Invitational Softball Tournament consolation crown Sunday by blanking Notre Dame 6-0. True freshman Leigh Ann Walker went the distance in her second career shutout, holding Notre Dame to just six hits while striking out five. The win gave the Huskers a three-game winning streak and moved them to 10-6 overall.

The only team to even threaten to score before the fifth inning was Notre Dame in the top of the second. The Fighting Irish put their second batter of the inning on first following a single to left. After a wild pitch advanced the runner to first, pinch runner Julie Grimmer was gunned down on an attempted steal at third. Notre Dame also threatened in the top of the fourth when with one on, Jarrah Myers hit a long fly to center field which the wind held in the park long enough for Jenifer Williams to make a play on it. Nebraska finally got going offensively in the fifth after collecting only two hits through the first four innings. Jessica Draemel led off the fifth with a single to left field and was moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by Jenifer Williams. Cindy Roethemeyer slugged her seventh hit of the tournament next to advance Draemel to third. The bases became loaded when Jennifer Lizama took a pitch off her abdomen for the free ride to first. The next batter, Ginger Taylor, slapped a soft grounder to third that moved all the runners and brought in the first run of the game. Jamie Fuente was then also hit by a pitch to bring in the second run of the inning before Kelly Pinkepank and Leigh Suhr picked up the second and third out of the fifth inning. Nebraska added four insurance runs in the sixth. With two outs and nobody on, Williams drew a walk and advanced to second on another Roethemeyer single. Lizama collected her third RBI of the weekend when she singled in Williams from second. The Huskers got two of the four runs of the inning when Taylor tapped a grounder to the Notre Dame third baseman who made an errant throw allowing two runs to score. The final run of the game came when Fuente singled to center field to score Taylor.

Walker improved to 3-2 on the year with the win. Fuente and Roethemeyer both picked up two hits in the game.

The Huskers also won the N.I.S.T. consolation title in 1996 when they defeated Illinois State 9-2

Roethemeyer was named to the N.I.S.T. All-Tournament team after hitting .444 (8-for-18) with four runs scored and a home run during the three days of the tournament.

Nebraska will remain in northern California throughout the week and will play a single game against San Jose State on Wednesday and begin the Airtouch Cellular Classic on Thursday.

NOTES
Nebraska is now 29-15 all time in N.I.S.T. history