2003 Fall Softball Review

The Huskers finished the fall season with a record of 13-4. Nebraska's exhibition schedule was composed of numerous regional teams, including North Dakota, Wayne State, Colorado State, Washington, Utah, Utah State, North Dakota State, South Dakota, South Dakota State, Augustana, and St. Cloud State, and ran throughout the month of September.

Augustana Tournament: Nebraska breezed through a third fall tournment in Sioux Falls, S.D., Sept. 27-28, posting a record of 6-0.

NU 13, SDSU 1: Sheena Lawrick went 2-for-2, including a homer, with four runs and three RBIs, to lead the Huskers to a 13-1 win over South Dakota State. Nebraska scored three runs in each of the first, second and fourth innings and four in the fifth to South Dakota State's lone run in the third inning. Peaches James (2-for 4) and Nicole Trimboli (1-for-2) both hit .500, while senior catcher Brittney Yolo was 2-for-4 with three RBIs. SDSU's losing pitcher, Emily Paolassol, threw four innings, surrendering 12 hits and nine runs. DeBuhr (3-1) threw a complete game, allowing just three hits and one run to take the win for Nebraska.

NU 3, SCS 2: Trimboli hit two home runs, including the game winner, as Nebraska defeated St. Cloud State, 3-2. Reaching first on a fielder's choice and then stealing second, Lawrick scored NU's second run of the game when she stole home. Starter Summer Tobias pitched 2.2 innings. Reliever James stepped in after Tobias was injured in the fourth inning, threw 4.1 innings and struck out eight batters to pick up the win. Starter Nicole Webb pitched a complete game, giving up three runs and two hits, to take the loss for SCS.

NU 9, AC 1: Augustana scored the first run of the game, but was then silenced in the 9-1 Husker victory. In the third, James, who also drove in two runs, hit a homer to put Nebraska ahead of the Vikings, and struck out 15 in seven innings for the win. Lawrick scored three runs for the Huskers and went 3-for-5 in the game.

NU 9, UND 1: Nebraska broke out with five runs in the first inning followed by three more in the second and a lone run in the fifth. North Dakota answered with only one run in the third inning. Starter Tara Petersen took the loss for the Fighting Sioux, yielding nine runs on 10 hits. Lawrick and Trimboli each had a great game against North Dakota, going 2-for-2 with two RBIs apiece. Jessica Yoachim went 2-for-3 and with two RBIs. NU's starter Ashley DeBuhr threw for five innings and struck out five, allowing only one run and two hits.

NU 2, NDSU 0: Nebraska was held scoreless by NDSU until the third inning when Lawrick hit an RBI single to score Trimboli, who singled to right center field and stole second. Anne Steffan hit an RBI double down the leftfield line to bring home pinch hitter Katie Linke, who got on with a single up the middle to score NU's second and last run of the game. James (5-2) only gave up two hits, struck out 10, and walked three batters to take the win for the Huskers. Starter Lindsey Graham took the loss for the Bison, handing over two runs on nine hits to Nebraska.

NU 10, USD 0: Lawrick hit a grand slam in the fourth inning to help propel Nebraska over South Dakota. In all Lawrick was 3-for-3 with two runs scored. DeBuhr threw a complete game to capture another win, improving her record to 4-1. Taking the loss for South Dakota was starter Shannon Anderson, who threw four innings. Anderson allowed 10 runs on 12 hits and struck out one Husker.

Other Fall Games: In front of 2,500 fans, the Huskers kicked off their fall season on Sept. 10, defeating Nebraska-Kearney, 16-0, in Grand Island, Neb.

Big Red Fall Classic: Nebraska hosted the Big Red Fall Classic on Sept. 13-14, at Bowlin Stadium, posting a 4-1 record. On day one the Huskers defeated Colorado State twice, 6-4 and 3-0. NU came back from a two-run deficit in the fourth inning when they exploded for six runs off of the Rams starter in the first game against CSU. On Saturday afternoon Nebraska was shut out by North Dakota State, 4-0.

Two NU shutout successes on Sunday were highlighted with three home runs by senior Peaches James and freshmen Jamie Waldecker and Jocelyn Evans. The Huskers, who only scored nine runs in three games on Saturday, scored 16 runs in 11 innings on Sunday.

Summer Tobias threw five scoreless innings and allowed just two hits to pick up her second win of the tournament. Jessica Yoachim scored three runs to spark Nebraska's offense against Wayne State.

Utah Tournament: Nebraska fell to Washington twice in the Utah Tournament, Sept. 19-21. Trisha Tannahill slammed a homer to right-center in the seventh inning to score the Huskers' only run in a 5-1 loss to. In the last game of the tournament NU was defeated by Washington, 6-4 when the Huskies' Aimee Minor hit a three-run homer off Peaches James. Immediately after Minor's home run, the game was ended due to time constraints.

NU split with Utah, losing the first (6-8) and winning the second (8-3). In the Huskers win against Utah, Nicole Trimoboli hit a two-run homer in the second inning, putting the Huskers ahead, 6-0. Trimboli doubled to left center to drive in another run in the seventh. The Huskers defeated Utah State, 6-1.

A Look Ahead: The Huskers begin regular season action on Friday, Feb. 13 at the UNLV Classic where they will play the Women's College World Series champion, UCLA. Nebraska will play in four other spring tournements before kicking off their single game schedule versus Creighton on March 24.

Saturday and Sunday, April 3-4, the Huskers will play their first home games against Big 12 opponent Baylor at Bowlin Stadium in Lincoln, Neb. Closing Nebraska's first homestand, April 3-7 are Creighton and Iowa State, repspectively.

NU's 2004 season schedule includes games against Women's College World Championship participants, such as Texas and Oklahoma. The Huskers will finish the 2004 regular season with a five game homestand ending on May 9 against Missouri.

Quick Notes:

Sheena Lawrick

led the Huskers with a .553 batting average, 22 RBIs, four triples, and 21 hits. Nicole Trimboli led Nebraska with five doubles.

Seven Huskers had a batting average over .300, including Sheena Lawrick, .553 (21-for-38); Nicole Trimboli, .432 (19-for-44); Anne Steffan, .355 (11-for-31); Jessica Yoachim, .341 (14-for-41); Jaime Borg, .333 (1-for-3); Kira Boerkircher, .308 (4-for-13); and Brittney Yolo, .304 (7-for-23).

Senior Peaches James (5-1) threw 38.0 innings for a 1.66 ERA and struck out 53 batters.

Newcomer Ashley DeBuhr (4-1) totaled 26 Ks and posted an ERA of 2.48 in 32.2 innings pitched. Jessica Yoachim and Nicole Trimboli were first on the team with 15 runs each. Sheena Lawrick, Peaches James and Nicole Trimboli led the team with three home runs each.