Hill Pitches Huskers Past 25th-Ranked Tigers

Columbia, Mo. - Behind a brilliant pitching performance from sophomore right-hander Molly Hill, the Nebraska softball team upset the 25th-ranked Missouri Tigers, 3-1, on Sunday afternoon to deny Missouri a share of the Big 12 Conference regular-season title.

The Tigers needed a win to claim just their second league title in any sport, but Hill made sure that wouldn't happen. She did not allow a baserunner until the fourth and finished the game allowing just one run on only three hits while improving to 17-8 on the season.

With the win - Nebraska's first road victory over a ranked team this season - the Huskers' ended the regular season with a 37-17 record and a 10-8 mark in the Big 12 Conference. NU earned the No. 5 seed for the Big 12 Championship, while Missouri (37-21, 13-4) will be the third seed in Oklahoma City.

Neither team could muster much offense in the first three innings, as Nebraska had just one batter reach the first time through the order and Missouri saw its first nine hitters retired. The first hit of the game wasn't recorded until the top of the fourth, when sophomore Crystal Carwile laced a two-out double to center.

Missouri's first hit also came in the fourth when Julie Silver poked a 1-2 into shallow center for a one-out single. Amanda Renth followed with another single before Hill started a third-to-first inning-ending double play.

The Huskers then got their first two runners on base in the top of the fifth and a sacrifice gave NU runners at second and third with only one out for the top of the order. Freshman Whitney Barrett then successfully executed a squeeze to allow senior pinch runner Jaime Borg to score from third. On the play, Barrett reached safely on a throwing error and senior Carmen Kier was able to score from second.

Leading 2-0, NU loaded the bases with only one out before Jana Hainey entered the game and promptly struck out Carwile for the second out before senior Jamie Waldecker hit a hard line drive right at the center fielder to end the inning.

Nebraska added an insurance run in the top of the seventh. Barrett was hit by a pitch with one out, stole second and scored on a two-out double of the bat of senior Devin Porter.

With a Big 12 championship hanging in the balance and down to their last three outs, Missouri used a single and a walk to put runners at first and second with no outs in the bottom of the seventh. Nebraska then nearly turned a double play on the next two batters, but both Tiger runners beat the throw to first. On the second grounder, pinch runner Allison Kennewell scored.

Trailing 3-1, an error kept the inning alive and put the tying runner on base before a ground out to senior Carmen Kier at third ended the game.

The Huskers will open postseason play at 2 p.m. on Friday, May 11, when fifth-seeded Nebraska faces fourth-seeded and sixth-ranked Texas A&M in the opening round of the Big 12 Championship in Oklahoma City, Okla. The Aggies swept the season series fron the Huskers, handing NU a pair of 1-0 losses in an April 6 doubleheader in College Station.

 

Nebraska vs Missouri (May 06, 2007)

• Box score

Box Score Nebraska Softball Nebraska at #25 Missouri May 06, 2007 at Columbia, Mo. (University Field)

Nebraska 3 (37-16,10-8 Big 12)

Player AB R H RBI BB SO PO A LOB ------------------------------------------------------ Barrett, Whitney 2b...... 2 1 0 1 0 0 1 3 0 Mullin, Meghan cf........ 4 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 Porter, Devin ss......... 4 0 2 1 0 1 2 2 0 Carwile, Crystal 1b...... 4 0 1 0 0 1 10 0 1 Waldecker, Jamie c....... 1 0 0 0 1 0 4 0 3 Long, Haley rf........... 3 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 2 Pascale, Brittany dp..... 3 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 Borg, Jaime pr.......... 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Kier, Carmen 3b.......... 2 1 0 0 1 1 2 3 0 Hupp, Alex lf............ 2 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 Hill, Molly p............ 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 0 Totals................... 25 3 4 2 2 5 21 12 7

Missouri 1 (37-21,13-4 Big 12)

Player AB R H RBI BB SO PO A LOB ------------------------------------------------------ Leanne Bowers cf......... 3 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 Julie Silver rf.......... 3 0 1 0 0 2 1 0 0 Amanda Renth 1b.......... 3 0 2 0 0 0 8 1 0 Allison Kennewell pr.... 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Micaela Minner lf........ 2 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 Sarah Stringer 2b........ 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 Andee Allen ss........... 3 0 0 1 0 0 3 2 0 Jen Bruck p/dp........... 2 0 0 0 1 0 1 2 0 Amy Henke pr............ 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Kathy Masterson c........ 3 0 0 0 0 2 5 0 3 A.J. White 3b............ 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 2 0 Alana Jacobson dp........ 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Jana Hainey p........... 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 Totals................... 23 1 3 1 3 4 21 10 4

Score by Innings R H E ----------------------------------------- Nebraska............ 000 020 1 - 3 4 1 Missouri............ 000 000 1 - 1 3 2 -----------------------------------------

E - Porter(9); Silver; Bruck. DP - Cornhuskers 1. LOB - Cornhuskers 7; Tigers 4. 2B - Porter(10); Carwile(14). HBP - Barrett; Waldecker. SH - Barrett(3); Hupp(2). SB - Barrett(4).

Nebraska IP H R ER BB SO AB BF NP -------------------------------------------------- Hill, Molly......... 7.0 3 1 1 3 4 23 26 90

Missouri IP H R ER BB SO AB BF NP -------------------------------------------------- Jen Bruck........... 4.1 3 2 2 2 2 16 21 45 Jana Hainey......... 2.2 1 1 1 0 3 9 10 35

Win - Hill (17-8). Loss - Bruck (17-7). Save - None. HBP - by Bruck (Waldecker); by Hainey (Barrett). Pitches/strikes: Hill 90/57; Bruck 45/30; Hainey 35/26. Umpires - Start: 1:03 pm Time: 1:46 Attendance: 646 Game: NU54