Late Rally Ends Husker Season

Lincoln--The Nebraska softball team’s 2007 season came to an end Saturday afternoon, as Creighton staged a two-out rally in the bottom of the seventh inning to down the Huskers, 2-1, during the NCAA Lincoln Softball Regional at Bowlin Stadium. Senior pitcher Ashley DeBuhr collected 13 strikeouts during her final game for NU, but the effort was not enough to advance the Huskers, who finished the NCAA Tournament 0-2 for the first time in team history.<?xml:namespace prefix="o" ns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office"?>

 

Creighton moves on to play <?xml:namespace prefix="st1" ns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags"?>Georgia Saturday night at 7:30 p.m. for the right to face Washington in Sunday’s regional championship game.

 

Down by one run with two outs in the bottom of the seventh inning, third baseman Jamie Reiss delivered an infield single for the Bluejays to score pinch runner Kaycee Points and tie the game at 1-1. Center fielder Jessica Wakasugi followed with a grounder to Husker third baseman Carmen Kier, who was unable to field the ball as second baseman Michelle Koch crossed the plate with the winning run. CU’s last-ditch rally featured one hit, a walk, a hit batsman, one error and two passed balls.

 

Creighton managed only four hits during the afternoon, with two coming from the bat of Reiss. Outfielder Haley Long paced the Husker offense, as she accounted for two of Nebraska’s four hits while driving in the squad’s lone run.

 

NU struggled to find rhythm at the plate against Creighton pitcher Tara Oltman and struck out five times, but Long helped give her team the lead early with an RBI single in the top of the first.

 

Following a walk to senior catcher Jamie Waldecker and a botched grounder by Koch that allowed first baseman Crystal Carwille to reach base, Long stroked a single to left to drive in Waldecker from second with what would turn out to be NU’s only run of the afternoon.

 

DeBuhr was brilliant in the circle once again for the Huskers, as she collected 13 stikeouts to push her career total to 936, the No. 2 total in program history. The Beatrice, Neb., native punched out at least two Bluejays in five of seven innings, including the fourth, when she struck out the side.

 

DeBuhr retired the first six batters she faced and collected four strikeouts through two innings before Creighton put together its first scoring threat with one out in the third inning.

 

The Bluejays loaded the bases with singles by Sinkler and Koch and Reiss reached on a fielder’s choice with one out. But DeBuhr was able to wiggle out of the jam by striking out Kratochvil and force an inning-ending grounder from Dawson to force out Reiss at second base.

 

NU escaped another two-out jam in the fifth, as a walk to Koch and the ensuing single by Reiss moved Koch into scoring position. DeBuhr was able to induce an inning-ending grounder from Wakasugi to third base to keep the shutout alive.

Saturday’s game drew 993 fans to Bowlin Stadium, helping NU extend its season attendance streak of at least 10,000 fans to six years.