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ASU (41-26) advances to face NCAA Regional 3 champion Washington in the first round of the WCWS this Thursday in Oklahoma City, Okla. Nebraska, which forced the second championship game by beating Arizona State 2-1 in eight innings earlier Sunday, bows out of the NCAA Championship with a 35-21 record.
On defense, Beach and Voak combined in the pitching circle to hold the Huskers to five hits and three walks while recording seven strikeouts. Offensively, the freshmen collected two hits apiece, each finishing with an extra-base hit -- Voak's a third-inning solo home run to centerfield and Beach's a fifth-inning double along the rightfield line.
Arizona State scored three runs in the second inning to force Nebraska into a catch-up game. Husker pitcher Jenny Voss walked both Voak and Holly Smith to begin the inning and both scored on an Andrea Rodgers fielder's choice and error by Nebraska second baseman Jennifer Lizama. Jen Langenhuizen's sacrifice fly to centerfield sent Erin Wardein in for the third run. ASU scored what would be its final run of the game on Voak's solo home run in the third.
Nebraska came back with single runs in both the fourth and fifth innings to cut the Arizona State lead to 4-2. Alice Brewer's rightfield double got the Huskers on the board, scoring Jamie Fuente, who led off the inning with a single. In the fifth, Lizama scored after reaching on a leadoff walk.
A 93-minute rain delay -- the second of the game -- came in the middle of the fifth inning. When play resumed, Nebraska fought off the Sun Devils, stranding runners at second and third in the bottom of the fifth and retiring ASU in order in the sixth. The Huskers got on base in both the sixth -- an Ellen Middleton walk -- and the seventh -- a Lizama reach by infield error -- but stranded both at first base.
QUOTES
Nebraska Head Coach Rhonda Revelle
On her team's performance in the regional ... "I am really, really proud of this team. They played their hearts out, left it on the field and they never gave up for a second. They never believed they were out of it, and this is a team in the last three years has been in the Sweet 16. No one predicted us to be where we were today and we had an internal belief that we could be here and I tip my hat and give all the credit to this team for sticking together, for gelling, and for rising to the occasion."
On her feelings for her team ... "I'm very passionate about this group and feel very passionate about how they did because, against all odds and against what every one else said, coming off of the 1998 season, nobody even thought we would be even close to here. In fact, the pollsters never even put us in the poll, that's how much they thought we would be here."
Junior Second Baseman Jennifer Lizama
On the game-winning home run against Florida Atlantic in the day's first game ... "I was pretty relaxed because I wanted to win the ballgame and I had nothing to lose. I hadn't had a hit all tournament to that point, and I felt it was a good a time as any to get a hit ... finally."
Junior Pitcher Jennifer Voss
On her pitching performance with all the delays ... "I felt like I didn't skip a beat. Even when Leigh Ann (Walker) went in for me, Rhonda (Revelle) said as I came out that I might not be done yet, so I kept myself where I needed to be through all the rain delays. I just kept myself in the game mentally and prepared for every situation that was to come up."
On preparing for next season ... "I know that we won't settle for anything less than what we got today, and I think I will make a statement right now that you can expect us to be back in the World Series. I don't think that the class of juniors and seniors-to-be is going to stand for anything less."