Huskers Hammer UMKC, 11-1

Wichita, Kan. ? Seven consecutive hits started a six-run fourth inning rally that slammed the door on Missouri-KansasCity in the 18th-ranked Nebraska softball team’s 11-1 five-inning victory at the Shocker Invitational in Wichita, Kan., on Saturday.

 

The win, the Huskers’ third straight at the tournament, improved NU’s overall record to 15-5 this season. Sophomore right-hander Jaime Borg (2-0) picked up her second career victory, allowing only one earned run on just two hits in four innings of work. Tisha Abbell took the loss for UMKC (4-14), allowing three runs in 1.1 innings.

 

The 11 runs Nebraska scored were the second-highest total of the season, and thd 14 hits were the third-highest total this season and marked the third straight double-digit hit game for NU. Four Huskers recorded multi-hit games, including senior Anne Steffan who finished 2-for-2 with a walk, marking her seventh straight multi-hit game and the 13th time in the last 14 games she has recorded at least two hits.

 

Sophomore Devin Porter went 1-for-3 and tied her career high with three RBIs in the game.

 

The Huskers jumped out to an early 4-0 lead with four runs in the bottom of the first. Steffan drew a leadoff walk and stole second before junior Jessica Yoachim sacrificed her to third. Steffan then came home on a wild pitch for the game’s first run. Junior Elizabeth Rock followed with an infield single and senior Sheena Lawrick drew a four-pitch walk.

 

With runners on first and second, junior Katie Linke singled up the middle on a 1-2 pitch to load the bases. Following a pop out by junior Trisha Tannahill, Porter lined the first pitch she saw into right field for a bases-clearing double to make the score 4-0.

 

UMKC answered back in the top of the second to pull within 4-1 on a solo home run by Eryn Knacht.

 

NU got the run back in the bottom of the third. Steffan reached on a one-out infield single to extend her career-high hitting streak to 17 games, just two shy of Ali Viola’s school record. Yoachim followed with an infield single and Steffan scored on the play after an errant throw by UMKC’s Casie Wolf. After Yoachim was thrown out attempting to steal second, Rock and Lawrick followed with singles before Linke lined out to right to end the inning.

 

The Huskers put the game away in the bottom of the fourth. Freshman Cassie Kleinsmith, Steffan and Yoachim each singled to start the inning and load the bases for Rock. Rock singled to right field to score Kleinsmith and Steffan and Yoachim came home when the Kangaroos tried to catch Rock off first base. Leading 8-1, the hit barrage continued as Lawrick singled up the middle and Linke followed with an RBI singled that scored Rock to increase Nebraska’s lead to 9-1.

 

Tannahill then recorded the Huskers’ seventh straight hit, a two-run double to right center that scored pinch runners KoKo Tacha and Kira Boerkircher.

 

Nebraska plays again at approximately 5:30 p.m. against Texas Tech, before wrapping up tournament play on Sunday against WichitaState at 12:30 p.m.