Home Runs Halt Husker Win Streak at 12

Lincoln - Powered by three home runs, Arkansas handed the Nebraska softball team its first loss in 13 games as Whitney Cloer's second homer of the game broke a 3-3 tie in the top of the sixth and propelled the Lady Razorbacks to a 5-4 victory over the Huskers in the final game of the Big Red Tournament at Bowlin Stadium.

After scoring just two runs and being outscored 11-2 in Friday and Saturday, Arkansas' three home runs provided all five runs on Sunday. The long balls made a winner of Miranda Dixon, who capped a solid tournament by allowing only one earned run in six innings of work. In 18.2 innings at the Big Red Tournament, Dixon (3-9) surrendered only one earned run while picking up both victories for the Lady Razorbacks (12-23).

Senior right-hander Ashley DeBuhr (9-4) took the loss for Nebraska (20-8). DeBuhr gave up five runs (three earned) on eight hits after the Husker staff had allowed only one earned run through the first five games of the tournament.

The loss not only snapped the Huskers' 12-game winning streak - the eighth-longest in program history - but also stopped NU's win streak at Bowlin Stadium. Nebraska had won 12 straight at home and 25 of its last 26 before falling to Arkansas. The loss was also NU's first in six games this season against teams from the Southeastern Conference, widely recognized as one of the top three softball conferences in the nation.

The Huskers were forced to play from behind from the first inning, when Arkansas jumped out to a 2-0 lead after Dayna Huckabee tied the school career home run record with a two-out, two-run blast to center.

The Lady Razorbacks added a solo home run from Cloer with one out in the second to take a 3-0 lead.

Arkansas helped the Huskers tie the game with a pair of errors and two costly passed balls in the bottom of the fourth. Senior Devin Porter led off with a double and sophomore Crystal Carwile then reached on an error that allowed Porter to score. Following another error, Carwile scored on an RBI ground out from senior Jamie Waldecker.

Trailing 3-2, the Huskers evened the score when sophomore Haley Long reached on a fielder's choice, advanced all the way to third on a pair of passed balls and scored on a two-out, two-strike single off the bat of senior Carmen Kier.

After a scoreless fifth, Cloer drilled her second homer of the game, this time a two-out, two-run shot that proved to be the game-winner.

Nebraska closed the gap to 5-4 on a sacrifice fly from Long in the bottom of the sixth.

Sophomore right-hander Molly Hill entered the game in the top of the seventh and retired the side in order to give the Huskers a chance in their final at bat, but Katy Henry came on in relief and retired all three batters she faced to earn her second save of the season.

The perfect seventh capped a brilliant tournament for Hill, who posted a 4-0 record with a 0.24 ERA on the weekend. Hill added 21 strikeouts while holding opposing hitters to a paltry .153 average.

Nebraska has the chance to start a new winning streak on Wednesday, when the Huskers wrap up their seven-game homestand with a 6 p.m. contest against in-state rival Creighton. The game will air on select Husker Sports Network stations in Nebraska. Fans can also follow the action on Huskers.com, which will offer live audio and live video.

Box Score The Automated ScoreBook Arkansas at Nebraska Mar 18, 2007 at Lincoln, Neb. (Bowlin Stadium)

Arkansas 5 (12-23)

Player AB R H RBI BB SO PO A LOB ------------------------------------------------------ Jessica Bachkora cf...... 4 0 1 0 0 1 1 0 0 Rachel LeMaster rf....... 3 1 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 Miranda Dixon p.......... 4 0 0 0 0 2 1 1 1 Katy Henry p............ 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Dayna Huckabee 3b........ 3 1 1 2 0 1 1 5 1 Samantha Buckner 1b...... 3 0 1 0 0 1 10 0 0 Dara Clark pr........... 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Teighynne Hulsey lf...... 3 1 1 0 0 1 2 0 0 Jocelyne Moncrief lf.... 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Whitney Cloer dp......... 3 2 2 3 0 0 0 0 0 Brandy Baze 2b........... 3 0 1 0 0 2 0 5 1 Jess Reed c.............. 3 0 0 0 0 1 3 0 1 Brittany Robison ss...... 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 Totals................... 29 5 8 5 0 9 21 11 4

Nebraska 4 (20-8)

Player AB R H RBI BB SO PO A LOB ------------------------------------------------------ Mullin, Meghan rf........ 4 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 Rutherford, Darcy lf..... 3 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 Porter, Devin ss......... 3 1 1 0 0 1 0 3 0 Carwile, Crystal 1b...... 3 2 1 0 0 0 9 0 1 Pascale, Brittany c...... 3 0 0 0 0 0 8 1 0 Borg, Jaime pr.......... 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Waldecker, Jamie dp...... 3 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 Barrett, Whitney pr..... 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Long, Haley cf........... 2 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 Kier, Carmen 3b.......... 3 0 1 1 0 0 1 3 2 Fuller, Kimberly 2b...... 2 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 1 Hupp, Alex ph........... 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 DeBuhr, Ashley p......... 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Hill, Molly p........... 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 Totals................... 27 4 5 3 1 2 21 8 4

Score by Innings R H E ----------------------------------------- Arkansas............ 210 002 0 - 5 8 2 Nebraska............ 000 301 0 - 4 5 1 -----------------------------------------

E - Dixon(9); Buckner(7); Fuller(5). LOB - Lady'Backs 4; Cornhuskers 4. 2B - Bachkora(7); Porter(6). HR - Huckabee(5); Cloer 2(3). SH - LeMaster(2). SF - Long(1). SB - LeMaster(13); Hulsey(1).

Arkansas IP H R ER BB SO AB BF NP -------------------------------------------------- Miranda Dixon....... 6.0 5 4 1 1 1 24 26 87 Katy Henry.......... 1.0 0 0 0 0 1 3 3 10

Nebraska IP H R ER BB SO AB BF NP -------------------------------------------------- DeBuhr, Ashley...... 6.0 8 5 3 0 9 26 27 108 Hill, Molly......... 1.0 0 0 0 0 0 3 3 10

Win - Dixon (3-9). Loss - DeBuhr (9-4). Save - Katy Henry (2). WP - Dixon(9). PB - Reed 2(3). Pitches/strikes: Dixon 87/57; Katy Henry 10/9; DeBuhr 108/84; Hill 10/8. Umpires - HP: Todd Delph 1B: Kevin Killingsworth 3B: Jeff Sloan Start: 4:00 pm Time: 1:55 Attendance: 460 Game: NU28