Huskers Advance To N.I.S.T. Semifinal

Sunnyvale, Calif. -- The No. 25 Nebraska softball team held its opponents scoreless on Saturday and picked up two wins to advance to the National Invitational Softball Tournament semifinal on Sunday at noon. Nebraska blanked Santa Clara, 9-0, in five innings and Pacific, 6-0 in the tournament quarterfinals. The Huskers, who now stand at 11-10 on the year and 4-1 in the N.I.S.T., will play No. 6 California, who beat Nebraska, 3-2, earlier in the tournament, on Sunday morning.

In the quarterfinals against Pacific, neither team moved a player past first until the fourth inning. Leigh Suhr started things off by reaching on an error by the centerfielder. Amber Burgess then singled, advancing Suhr to second. Jamie Fuente also reached on an error, this one by the second baseman, loading the bases for the freshman Amanda Buchholz, who joined the Huskers on Friday after playing for the Nebraska women's basketball team. Buchholz collected a one-out single that brought in the first and eventual game-winning run. Nebraska added another run in the fifth when Lizama stole home on a double steal attempt with Suhr. The Huskers put the game out of reach in the top of the sixth on singles by Fuente, Ginger Taylor, Jenny Voss, Jenifer Williams and Jennifer Lizama. Penny Cope held the Tiger offense in check allowing just four hits through four innings, before being relieved by Leigh Ann Walker, who no hit Pacific during the final three innings. Ogee and Fuente each collected two hits.

The Huskers advanced to the quarterfinals with a mid-morning pummeling of Santa Clara. Nebraska jumped all over Santa Clara pitcher Krista Barry in the first beginning with Lizama's third leadoff home run of the year. NU's next hitter, Kim Ogee, then took the Husker lead with her third triple of the year, sending Barry's pitch to right field. Suhr then singled to right to score Ogee, stole second and advanced to third on a Jamie Fuente fly. Successive successful bunts by Amanda Buchholz and Ginger Taylor scored Suhr and left runners on the corners with two outs. Jenny Voss then reached on an error by the shortstop that allowed Buchholz to score and make it 4-0. Jenifer Williams added two more runs with a single to left field to score Voss and Taylor. After a SCU pitching change, Lizama and Ogee each drew walks to loading the bases for Suhr. Suhr immediately singled in Williams for the last run of the seven-run first inning. Nebraska's final two runs came in the third inning when Lizama hit her second homer of the game, this one a two-run shot. The homer was the seventh of the year for Lizama and gave her 41 for her career. It was Lizama's third multiple-homer game of her career and the 17th in Husker history. Voss took it from there and held Santa Clara in check for the rest of the five-inning run-rule game. Voss allowed just two hits, while striking out five and walking none. Lizama finished the game 2-for-2 with two runs scored and three runs batted in and a walk. Suhr also finished with two hits.

Nebraska fell to No. 6 California, 3-2, late Friday night to finish 2-1 in pool play. The Cal Bears scored two runs in the first and a third run in the third inning, while the Huskers managed just one hit in the first three innings. Nebraska pulled close in the sixth inning when Ogee singled in Jenifer Williams and Lizama. But a strikeout by Suhr ended the Husker rally. Buchholz' reached base on a walk in the bottom of the seventh but was also left stranded when Taylor grounded out to third. Penny Cope started the game for Nebraska and gave up six hits and three runs in two and a third. Walker came on in relief and held the Bears to just two hits while striking out eight in four and two-thirds inning.

Lizama is 7-for-11 in two days at the N.I.S.T. with eight runs scored, eight runs batted in, three home runs, and a double.