Huskers Drop Conference Opener, 4-2

College Station, Texas ? Jana James went 2-for-3 with two RBIs and two runs scored and made a home-run saving grab to lead No. 12 Texas A&M past the 18th-ranked Nebraska softball team, 4-2, in front of 1,097 fans at Aggie Softball Complex on Friday night, the second-largest home crowd in school history.

NU (20-10) suffered its third consecutive loss and dropped to 0-1 in the Big 12 Conference. Texas A&M (30-2, 2-0 Big 12) picked up its 14th straight victory and won for the second time in league play.

Sophomore right-hander Ashley DeBuhr (11-8) took the loss for Nebraska, allowing four runs on eight hits in six innings of work. Amanda Scarborough, the reigning NFCA National Player of the Week, improved to a perfect 17-0 for Texas A&M, as she did not allow an earned run in a complete-game three-hitter.

 

Nebraska nearly jumped out to an early 3-0 lead in the top of the first. Junior Jessica Yoachim and senior Sheena Lawrick drew a pair of one-out walks and junior Trisha Tannahill stepped to the plate with runners on first and second with two outs. Tannahill went after the first pitch and hit a fly ball to deep left field. James, the Aggies left fielder, drifted back to the fence and reached over the wall to rob Tannahill of the home run.

 

NU hit the ball hard in the fourth inning, but again was unable to score. Tannahill doubled off the wall in right with one out. Junior Elizabeth Rock then slapped a grounder back to the pitcher, who threw to third to get Tannahill. After Rock stole second, junior Katie Linke hit a rocket that bounced off A&M first baseman Megan Gibson. Gibson was able to find the ball and beat Linke to first to end the inning.

 

Texas A&M broke through in the bottom of the fourth, scoring two runs on four consecutive hits. Jamie Hinshaw led off with an infield single and James sent a 1-2 pitch to the gap in right-center. Rock showed great speed to get to the ball, but was unable to haul it in. Hinshaw scored on the play and James wound up at third after a throwing error on NU shortstop Devin Porter.

 

James came home to give the Aggies a 2-0 lead on an RBI single up the middle from Gibson.

 

The Aggies added a pair of insurance runs in the bottom of the fifth. Sharonda McDonald drew a leadoff walk and advanced to second on a ground out. James drove in her second run of the game with a single that scored McDonald. A&M went up 4-0 when Scarborough doubled to left-center field to bring home James.

 

The Huskers answered in the top of the sixth. Yoachim led off with a single, her second hit of the game, and advanced to second on a throwing error. Lawrick then reached on an error and Yoachim came around to score on the play.

 

Sophomore Jamie Waldecker then reached on another Aggie error. With runners at first and second, Tannahill reached on a fielder’s choice and junior KoKo Tacha, who pinch ran for Lawrick, was out at third. Rock sacrificed pinch runner Kira Boerkircher to third and Tannahill to second. Linke then drew a walk and on ball four, the ball got away from catcher Morgan Hebert allowing Boerkircher to score and pull Nebraska to with two, 4-2.

 

The Huskers were retired 1-2-3 in the seventh. Yoachim led Nebraska offensively, finishing 2-for-3 with a walk and a run scored. Senior Anne Steffan went 0-for-4 and saw her school-record hitting streak end at 26.

 

 

The Huskers and Aggies wrap up their two-game series on Saturday at Noon.