Huskers Score Three in Seventh for Win Over Jays

Omaha --- After leaving seven runners stranded through the first six innings, the Nebraska softball team made up for missed opportunities in the seventh by scoring three runs for a 3-2 victory over Creighton at Dill Field on Tuesday evening. Junior All-American pitcher Jenny Voss came on in relief to notch her school-record 74th-career victory breaking the previous mark held by Nebraska Assistant Coach Lori Sippel at 73. The win was the second straight victory over Creighton accomplished with seventh-inning heroics and the fourth win overall against the Jays. Nebraska is now 17-11 on the season.

Even though the Huskers didn't put a run on the board until the seventh, they put plenty of runners in scoring position, including the first inning when Jill Baker reached second. Creighton scored the first of its two runs in the bottom of the second when Temple Windhorst sent a pitch from NU starter Lori Tschannen sailing over the centerfield fence. In the top of the fourth, NU's Kelly Pinkepank led off with a double but never advanced leaving the Jays up 1-0. Creighton's Francesca Nix's double in the bottom half proved to be a little more lucrative for the Jays. CU's next batter, DeAnn Kaster singled in Nix to put Creighton up 2-0. Nebraska then left a pair of runners stranded in both the fifth and sixth bringing them into the seventh trailing. In the seventh Cindy Roethemeyer led off with a single to right and was soon joined on the basepath by Ginger Taylor who laid down a successful bunt. A wild pitch by Creighton pitcher Renee Woods advanced both runners into scoring position bringing up Jennifer Lizama. Lizama smashed a base-clearing triple to right center to tie the game at 2-2. Alice Brewer came in to pinch hit for the lefty Jill Baker and laid down a surprise squeeze bunt to score Lizama for the eventual game winner. Voss sat down the side in order in the bottom of the seventh and the Huskers escaped with the 3-2 win. Nebraska scattered nine hits off of Woods for the second straight game against Creighton.

The career wins record by Voss adds to an already impressive list of records held by the junior. She already holds career records for innings pitched and complete games and is nearing many others. Sippel won 73 games from 1985-88.

Nebraska will have a week off before it is back in action on Wednesday, April 7, against Creighton for the fourth time this season. The Jays will come to Lincoln for a single game at 7 p.m.

NOTES:
Lizama's base-clearing triple was just the second triple of the season for Nebraska ... Cindy Roethemeyer snapped an 0-for-13 slump by going 2-for-3 Tuesday ... Nebraska had scored just six runs in the seventh all year before scoring three runs Tuesday night.

QUOTING RHONDA REVELLE:
ON THE GAME-WINNING SQUEEZE BUNT "I came over and told Alice (Brewer) to be ready for the squeeze. I thought we could decoy the infield in bringing in a right-handed batter when you have a lefty, slap-hitter already in the lineup. It was a nice bunt, and you also have to give Lizama real credit for reading the squeeze right."

"Creighton is better than their record reflects. I think they are going to do really well in their league."

"I feel like we were hitting the ball hard it was just a matter of seeing the hole."

QUOTING JENNIFER LIZAMA:
ON THE BASE-CLEARING TRIPLE: "My first at bat wasn't the best and my second at bat I hit a pretty good shot to right. On the third, I was looking to hit it to right center and that's exactly what I did."

"Sometimes it's pretty and sometimes it's not. But we'll take it either way."

"The whole team, 1-9, did a great job of just putting the ball into play tonight."