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Phoenix -- The No. 12 Nebraska softball team split games against two ranked opponents Saturday at the Fiesta Bowl Tournament in Phoenix, Ariz. The Huskers got the day off to a good start at the Rose Mofford Complex with a 2-1 win over 20th-ranked Oregon before falling to No. 3 Arizona 11-4 Saturday night.
The Huskers conclude tournament play Sunday with a noon game against No. 4 Washington.
Nebraska used a strong showing from the bottom half of its lineup and an impressive performance by freshman pitcher Katie Decker in the win over the Ducks. The Huskers' No. 6 - No. 9 hitters combined to go 5-for-12 (.417) against losing pitcher Lisa Wangler, who allowed six hits and two runs, both earned, while striking out four Huskers in seven innings.
Decker, meanwhile, picked up a win in the first start of her career, striking out five and allowing five hits and one earned run in six innings of work. Junior All-American Leigh Ann Walker (0-1) recorded the save, striking out two in the seventh inning.
After two scoreless innings, Oregon posed its first threat in the third. Lynsey Haij reached first on an error by Roethemeyer, and Wangler came through with a two-out single to bring up Laux with runners on first and second. Sophomore catcher Amber Burgess then caught Haij trying to steal second, and Decker struck out Alyssa Laux to end the inning.
The momentum shifted to the Husker offense in the fourth. After putting just one runner on base through the first three innings, Nebraska's bottom half of the lineup had a breakthrough inning when three batters notched their first hits of the season. After leftfielder Danelle Arnold singled to right, Buchholz, who was 3-for-6 (.500) on the day, collected her first hit of the season with a double to right. James followed with her first hit, a single that loaded the bases and brought up Roethemeyer, the Huskers' No. 9 hitter. The senior third baseman responded with her first hit of 2001, sending home Arnold and Buchholz with a single that fell just behind third base. Kim Ogee and Nicole Trimboli flied out to end the inning.
Oregon cut Nebraska's lead to 2-1 when Holly Ray homered on a 2-2 pitch in the sixth, but the Ducks wouldn't score against as Triawn Custer popped up to third and Buchholz made a flying leap to grab a line drive by Missy Coe to end the inning.
The Huskers brought in Walker to close the game in the seventh, and she responded, striking out Andrea Vidlund, forcing Kate Peterson to pop up and freezing Amber Hutchinson for another strikeout.
Nebraska has a much tougher time handling Arizona, which knocked NU out of the NCAA Regionals last season. The nation's top offensive team, Arizona came out swinging against James (1-1), who took the loss for NU after surrendering 10 hits and seven runs in 4.2 innings. The Wildcats totaled 15 hits and five home runs in the offensive showcase.
Things began quickly for Arizona. A homerun by No. 3 hitter Toni Mascarenas scored Nicole Giordano for a 2-0 first-inning advantage. Nebraska countered in the bottom of the third when second baseman Jamie Fuente knocked a two-run blast over the centerfield fence to tie the game.
Arizona came back, racking up five runs on five hits in the fourth and fifth innings. A two-run shot by Mackenzie Vandergeest made it 7-2 and signaled a pitching change for Nebraska. NU Coach Rhonda Revelle inserted senior Penny Cope for her first appearance of 2001. Cope walked Allison Andrade and struck out Lisha Ribellia before allowing Lauren Bauer a single down the leftfield line. Mascarenas then homered to right for her second round tripper of the night. Leneah Manuma followed with another home run on the next at bat. The Huskers finally finished the inning when Buchholz ran down Vandergeest as she tried to stretch a two-out double into a triple.
The Huskers went three up, three down in the sixth inning. Revelle inserted Decker into the game in the seventh inning, and she held Arizona scoreless. Nebraska couldn't find the luck it needed in the bottom of the seventh, as Roethemeyer and Ogee grounded out to short and Trimboli flew out to right.