Huskers Look to Stay Unbeaten in Big 12 Play

Lincoln, Neb. - The 18th-ranked Nebraska softball team looks to push its Big 12 Conference winning streak to 11 straight when it travels to Ames, Iowa, for a mid-week game with the Iowa State Cyclones. NU (32-12, 10-0) is one game ahead of Texas A&M in the league standings, while the Cyclones (10-25, 1-8) are in ninth place.

Nebraska is seeking its 12th consecutive victory over the Cyclones. The Huskers defeated Iowa State 6-0 at Bowlin Stadium on April 7.

NU had a busy week last week, playing four games against teams who had previously combined to post a 3-0 record against the Huskers this season. Nebraska avenged two early-season losses to Notre Dame on national television on Monday. Behind a complete-game, one-hit shutout by senior right-hander Peaches James, NU edged the Irish 1-0 for its 12th straight win.

Two unearned runs cost Nebraska the second game against Notre Dame, as the Huskers dropped a 2-0 decision. Sophomore right-hander Summer Tobias suffered her second defeat to the Irish, allowing two runs on four hits.

NU returned to Big 12 Conference play over the weekend, hosting 17th-ranked Oklahoma for a two-game set. James out-pitched Oklahoma All-American Kami Keiter to lead Nebraska to a two-game sweep. NU and James had dropped a 1-0 decision to Keiter and the Sooners on March 20.

In the first game, both teams combined to commit six errors as neither team plated an earned run. Nebraska used five hits and four Sooner errors to score two runs in the 2-1 victory. James was dominant in the circle, allowing only two hits while striking out 11. The victory was the 25th of the season for James, a new single-season career high.

The second game played out in similar fashion. NU again used five hits and four OU errors, this time scoring three runs in a 3-1 win. Freshman first baseman Jamie Waldecker accounted for the Huskers’ only earned run of the weekend with her game-winning solo home run that snapped a 1-1 tie in the bottom of the sixth inning.

James threw well again, allowing only one run on five hits in a complete-game effort, striking out six without surrendering a walk. In the game, James recorded her 800th career strikeout, making her only the third player in school history to reach 800 career victories. James also struck out her 251st batter of the season, a new single-season career high.

In the Huskers’ four games last week, NU pitching allowed only one earned run in 28 innings. Opposing hitters were just 12-for-96 (.125) against James and Tobias and struck out 24 times. Nebraska’s offense also struggled, hitting just .181 last week.

Sophomore Jessica Yoachim provided an offense spark with a 6-for-13 week (.462). Yoachim also scored the game-winning run in the Huskers’ 2-1 win over Oklahoma on Saturday. Junior Jocelyn Evans also hit well, going 3-for-7 (.429) with an on-base percentage of .556.

Scouting the Cyclones
IowaState (10-25, 1-8)
Iowa State is hoping to end an 11-game losing streak to the Huskers, including a 6-0 loss this season. Offensively, ISU is led by Julia Lindsey, who is the only Cyclone hitting higher than .255 for the season. As a team, Iowa State is hitting only .205. Lindsey is hitting .323 with a team-high 32 hits, 13 runs, five doubles, one triple and six stolen bases.

In Big 12 play, the Cyclones have shown a more potent offense. Lindsey his hitting .419 (13-for-31) in league games and starters Cary Akins (.310) and Ashley Killeen (.292) are also hitting much better in conference games. Akins and Killeen were the only Cyclones to record a hit in Iowa State’s 6-0 loss to NU on April 7.

In the circle, Alyssa Ransom has logged the most innings of the Cyclones’ three pitchers. Ransom (7-14) has allowed 53 earned runs in 141.1 innings (2.62 ERA). Ransom is holding opposing hitters to a .243 average and has tossed three shutouts. Against Nebraska, Ransom allowed six runs on nine hits in 4.2 innings.

Last Meeting
Nebraska defeated Iowa State 6-0 on April 7 at Bowlin Stadium in the team’s first meeting this season. Sophomore right-hander Summer Tobias earned the win for NU with a two-hit shutout. Iowa State’s Alyssa Ransom took the loss, allowing six runs in 4.2 innings.

In the game, Nebraska pounded out 10 hits including multi-hit games from junior Anne Steffan, sophomore Trisha Tannahill and freshman Jamie Waldecker. Tannahill finished the game 2-for-3 with a run scored and three RBIs.

Iowa State’s Ashley Killeen and Cary Akins each had a single, as Tobias allowed only one Cyclone to advance past first base in the game.

NU leads the all-time series 56-14 and has won 11 straight games.