Late Home Run Lifts BYU Past Nebraska

Las Vegas ? Jessica Purcell’s two-out, two-run homer in the top of the sixth inning powered BYU to a 2-1, come-from-behind victory over the Nebraska softball team in Saturday’s first game at the Rebel Round Robin in Las Vegas.<?xml:namespace prefix="o" ns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office"?>

 

Purcell’s home run snapped <?xml:namespace prefix="st1" ns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags"?>Nebraska’s five-game win streak and also marked the end of the Huskers’ 37.0 inning scoreless streak. The homer came off junior right-hander Molly Hill (3-3), snapping her personal scoreless streak at 19.0 innings. In a complete-game effort, Hill surrendered only three hits while allowing the two runs.

 

Paige Affleck (4-2) earned the win for BYU (13-11). Affleck also tossed a two-hitter, allowing just one unearned run as she was able to work around four Cougar errors.

 

Nebraska’s speed forced a pair of BYU errors in the bottom of the first and led to one run. Juniors Darcy Rutherford and Meghan Mullin both reached safely on infield slaps after BYU’s first baseman couldn’t hold onto the ball on bang-bang plays at first. Rutherford, who stole second, was able to score from second base on the second dropped throw.

 

Both teams recorded their first hit in the fourth inning, but neither was able to convert the hit into a run. Emi Willing ripped a leadoff double for BYU in the top of the inning, but she was left stranded on second. In the bottom of the frame, a hit and an error put runners on second and third with two outs for the Huskers before a ground out ended the threat.

 

Hill’s third walk to a leadoff batter finally came back to hurt her in the sixth. She quickly retired the next two batters after the walk before Jessica Purcell lined a 1-2 pitch over the wall in right for a two-run homer.

 

Now trailing by a run, Nebraska used a leadoff single and an error to place Mullin at third with only one out before the Huskers hit into some tough luck. Junior Amanda Duran, whose two-run single beat BYU on Friday night, went after the next pitch and hit a hard shot to third that Angeline Quiocho was able to knock down, recover and throw to first to retire Duran. Junior Crystal Carwile then ripped the next pitch directly to the shortstop for the final out.

 

BYU was retired quickly in the top of the seventh before the Huskers recorded only a pinch-hit, two-out single from freshman Katie Linke in the bottom of the inning.

 

The Huskers (9-9) continue play at the Rebel Round Robin immediately with their second game of the day against UtahValleyState.

Box Score Nebraska Softball BYU vs Nebraska Mar 14, 2008 at Las Vegas, Nev. (Eller Media Stadium)

BYU 2 (13-11)

Player AB R H RBI BB SO PO A LOB ------------------------------------------------------ DELAHOUSSAYE,Kristin 2b.. 2 0 1 0 2 0 3 2 0 DAVIS, Cashjen lf........ 2 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 1 QUIOCHO, Angeline 3b..... 2 1 0 0 1 0 0 4 0 SNOW, Daniela 1b......... 3 0 0 0 0 0 12 2 2 WILLING, Emi c........... 3 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 PURCELL, Jessica ss...... 2 1 1 2 0 0 3 6 0 HOPKINS, Stephanie rf.... 3 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 OLANDER, Erin dp......... 2 0 0 0 1 2 0 0 1 GONZALES, Monica cf...... 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 AFFLECK, Paige p......... 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 Totals................... 22 2 3 2 4 4 21 17 6

Nebraska 1 (9-9)

Player AB R H RBI BB SO PO A LOB ------------------------------------------------------ Rutherford, Darcy lf..... 2 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 Mullin, Meghan cf........ 2 0 1 0 0 0 2 0 1 Guile, Ashley dp......... 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Duran, Amanda c.......... 3 0 0 0 0 0 4 0 0 Hughes, Abby pr......... 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Carwile, Crystal 1b...... 3 0 1 0 0 1 8 0 1 Brechtel, Julie 2b....... 3 0 0 0 0 0 4 2 0 Long, Haley rf........... 3 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 2 Barrett, Whitney ss...... 2 0 0 0 0 0 1 2 0 Linke, Kelli ph......... 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 Foland, Heidi 3b......... 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 6 0 Hupp, Alex ph........... 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 Hill, Molly p............ 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 Totals................... 25 1 3 0 1 1 21 11 5

Score by Innings R H E ----------------------------------------- BYU................. 000 002 0 - 2 3 4 Nebraska............ 100 000 0 - 1 3 0 -----------------------------------------

E - DELAHOUSSAYE(5); QUIOCHO(8); PURCELL 2(6). DP - Cougars 1. LOB - Cougars 6; Huskers 5. 2B - WILLING(7). HR - PURCELL(4). HBP - PURCELL. SH - DAVIS 2(3); Mullin(4). SB - Rutherford(4).

BYU IP H R ER BB SO AB BF NP -------------------------------------------------- AFFLECK, Paige...... 7.0 3 1 0 1 1 25 27 109

Nebraska IP H R ER BB SO AB BF NP -------------------------------------------------- Hill, Molly......... 7.0 3 2 2 4 4 22 29 94

Win - AFFLECK (4-2). Loss - Hill (3-3). Save - None. HBP - by Hill (PURCELL). Pitches/strikes: AFFLECK 109/68; Hill 94/58. Umpires - HP: Glenda Bates 1B: Geri Magwire 3B: Chuck Stanley Start: 10:57 am Time: 2:05 Attendance: Game: livegame