DeBuhr Posts Second Straight Shutout

Oklahoma City, Okla. ? Sophomore right-hander Ashley DeBuhr completed a dominating night by blanking the 11th-ranked Oklahoma Sooners in the Husker softball team’s 1-0 win in the first round of the Big 12 Tournament.

 

DeBuhr (23-17) held the powerful Sooner lineup to just two hits after tossing a complete-game two-hit shutout in Nebraska’s 6-0 win against Iowa State in the play-in game of the tournament, which immediately preceded the Oklahoma game.

 

DeBuhr, a native of Beatrice, Neb., struck out six against OU after fanning 11 Cyclones in the first game. She now has 287 punch outs this season, which ranks second in single-season school history. DeBuhr’s efforts lifted Nebraska’s record to 35-19, marking the eighth straight 35-win season.

 

OU southpaw All-American Kami Keiter fell to 27-6 with a tough loss. She allowed just one run on four hits while striking out six for the Sooners (45-14).

 

Nebraska threatened in the top of the third inning. Sophomore Carmen Kier recorded the first hit of the game with one out and freshman Cassie Kleinsmith then reached on an error by Keiter. Senior Anne Steffan then fell behind in the count 1-2 before being hit by a pitch to load the bases. The Huskers were unable to convert, however, as junior Jessica Yoachim reached on a fielder’s choice when Kier was forced out at home on a ground ball to second base. Junior Elizabeth Rock then grounded out to second to end the threat.

 

Oklahoma missed out on a scoring chance of its own in the bottom of the inning. Keiter led off the inning with a wind-aided double to center field that just evaded the glove of NU’s Trisha Tannahill. She would advance no further, however, as DeBuhr struck out the next two hitters before coaxing a ground out to end the inning.

 

NU took a 1-0 lead in the top of the fourth when sophomore Jamie Waldecker hit her team-leading seventh home run of the season, a two-out solo shot over the fence in right.

 

Nebraska threatened to add an insurance run in the top of the seventh. Waldecker reached on an error to start the inning and sophomore Devin Porter lined a ball to the gap in left-center where OU centerfielder Kristin Vesely made a terrific diving catch to rob Porter of at least a double. Sophomore Carmen Kier then singled before Kleinsmith popped up to Keiter. With runners on first and second and two outs, Steffan struck out swinging to end the game.

 

To close out the game, DeBuhr retired the final 10 hitters to cap her outstanding day. Offensively for NU, Kier recorded her second straight multi-hit game, finishing 2-for-3.

 

Nebraska now advances to play the winner of tomorrow’s Kansas-Texas game tomorrow at 7 p.m.