Huskers Rally for 4-3 Victory

Lincoln ? Seeing her first at bats in 10 games Tuesday, freshman Whitney Barrett went 3-for-4 and produced the game-winning hit with a one-out, walk-off RBI double in the bottom of the eighth inning of the Nebraska softball team’s 4-3 come-from-behind victory over Drake.

 

The Bulldogs led 3-0 before a dormant Nebraska offense scored four runs over the final 4.1 innings. Barrett was the sparkplug, as her three hits matched her hit total from her first 20 career games.

 

The freshman, making her offensive home debut, stepped to the plate with senior Jaime Borg on third base and one out in the bottom of the eighth. Barrett worked the count to 2-2 before lacing a double to the gap in right center field that brought Borg home with the game-winning run.

 

Barrett’s big hit capped the Huskers’ comeback. After a two-run fourth inning for Drake, Nebraska scored single runs in the fourth, fifth and seventh innings. NU forced extra innings when freshman Alex Hupp led off the bottom of the seventh with a double off the top of the fence and scored on a single from sophomore Crystal Carwile.

 

Hupp also enjoyed a big day, finishing 1-for-2 and scoring twice. Borg was solid for the second straight game, recording her third career hit ? and second in as many games ? while finishing 1-for-4 with two runs scored, including the game-winner.

 

The comeback featured a much-needed offensive explosion, as Nebraska had gone 23 innings without scoring a run until getting on the scoreboard in the bottom of the fourth.

 

The rally also made a winner out of senior right-hander Ashley DeBuhr. DeBuhr (10-5) settled down after a rough start and finished a complete-game effort allowing three runs on six hits, while striking out 10.

 

With the win, Nebraska (21-11) snapped a season-high four-game losing streak. The Huskers' four runs also eclipsed their run total of one from the previous three games combined.

 

DeBuhr struggled with her control early, surrendering a single and a pair of walks to the first three batters. With the bases loaded and no outs, DeBuhr recorded a strike out before Kristin Birocci singled to put the Bulldogs ahead 1-0.

 

The Huskers escaped further damage, but Birocci put Drake up 2-0 when she led off the top of the fourth with a triple and scored on a single from Jaci Faidley. Another single put runners on first and third and on strike three to the next batter, the ball got away from catcher Brittany Pascale allowing Faidley to scored.

 

Trailing 3-0, Nebraska began to chip away at the lead by scoring single runs in both the fourth and fifth innings to cut the gap to one. In the fourth, Borg reached on a one-out single, stole second and scored on a throwing error following a single from Barrett.

 

In the fifth, the Huskers loaded the bases with only one out and Hupp scored on an RBI ground out off the bat of senior Devin Porter.

 

After being held scoreless in the sixth, Hupp's double and Carwile's single in the bottom of the seventh set the stage for Barrett's walk-off dramatics. 

Box Score The Automated ScoreBook Drake at Nebraska (Game 1) Mar 27, 2007 at Lincoln, Neb. (Bowlin Stadium)

Drake 3 (12-21)

Player AB R H RBI BB SO PO A LOB ------------------------------------------------------ Larry, Lindsay ss........ 3 1 0 0 1 0 2 0 1 Wilkin, Jenna rf......... 4 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 Slycord, Susan c......... 3 0 0 0 1 1 3 0 0 Kahler, Kelsey pr....... 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Hajduk, Emily cf......... 4 0 0 0 0 1 2 0 0 Birocci, Kristin lf...... 3 1 3 1 1 0 2 0 0 Faidley, Jaci 2b......... 3 1 1 1 0 1 5 0 0 Shields, Bridget dp...... 4 0 1 0 0 2 0 0 6 Heller, Cassie p......... 2 0 0 1 0 2 1 4 0 Waldenmaier, Amanda ph.. 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 Buss, Marilyn 1b......... 3 0 0 0 0 2 5 0 0 Hatfield, Carrie 3b...... 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 3 0 Totals................... 30 3 6 3 3 10 22 7 8

Nebraska 4 (21-11)

Player AB R H RBI BB SO PO A LOB ------------------------------------------------------ Rutherford, Darcy lf..... 2 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 Hupp, Alex ph/lf........ 2 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 Mullin, Meghan rf........ 2 0 1 0 1 0 3 0 0 Carwile, Crystal 1b...... 4 0 1 1 0 1 7 1 0 Pascale, Brittany c...... 2 0 0 0 1 1 10 1 4 Porter, Devin ss......... 3 0 0 1 1 0 1 2 0 Borg, Jaime dp........... 4 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 4 Long, Haley cf........... 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Gonzalez, Crystal cf.... 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Barrett, Whitney 2b...... 4 0 3 1 0 0 1 0 0 Kier, Carmen 3b.......... 3 0 1 0 0 0 2 2 1 DeBuhr, Ashley p......... 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 Totals................... 29 4 8 3 3 3 24 7 10

Score by Innings R H E ------------------------------------------ Drake............... 100 200 00 - 3 6 3 Nebraska............ 000 110 11 - 4 8 2 ------------------------------------------

Note: 1 out, 1 runner LOB when the game ended.

E - Larry, L; Faidley, J; Heller, C; Pascale(2); Gonzalez(2). LOB - Bulldogs 8; Cornhuskers 10. 2B - Hupp(3); Barrett(1). 3B - Birocci, K. SH - Faidley, J; Mullin(10); Pascale(1); Gonzalez(6). SB - Larry, L; Wilkin, J; Birocci, K; Porter(5); Borg(4).

Drake IP H R ER BB SO AB BF NP -------------------------------------------------- Heller, Cassie...... 7.1 8 4 1 3 3 29 35 118

Nebraska IP H R ER BB SO AB BF NP -------------------------------------------------- DeBuhr, Ashley...... 8.0 6 3 3 3 10 30 34 152

Win - DeBuhr (10-5). Loss - Heller, C (7-11). Save - None. WP - Heller, C; DeBuhr(5). Pitches/strikes: Heller, C 118/71; DeBuhr 152/105. Umpires - HP: Sarah Bixby 1B: Matt Titkemeier 3B: Jeff Sloan Start: 3:33 pm Time: 2:28 Attendance: Game: NU32