Nebraska Falls at Creighton

Omaha ? A pair of Creighton home runs powered the Bluejays to an early five-run lead and behind ace Tara Oltman, Creighton cruised from there to a 7-2 victory over the Nebraska softball team on Wednesday night in Omaha.

 

The early homers provided all the support Oltman would need, as she tossed a complete game to lead Creighton (22-10) to its largest win over Nebraska since a 6-0 win on April 15, 1997. In pitching the Bluejays to their seventh straight victory, Oltman surrendered seven hits, but allowed just two runs.

 

Sophomore right-hander Alex Hupp (6-6) lasted just two innings for NU and lost her third straight decision, as Nebraska (13-13) fell for the third straight game. In two innings of work, Hupp allowed three runs on two hits, while walking a pair and striking out two.

 

Junior right-hander Molly Hill relieved Hupp for the third inning, but Hill promptly gave up three runs just three batters into her appearance. Hill finished the night allowing five runs (three earned) on six hits, but she did strike out eight in four innings, her second-highest total of the season.

 

Offensively, Nebraska recorded four of its seven hits in the final two innings. Junior Crystal Carwile led the way with a 2-for-3 night, while fellow junior Darcy Rutherford finished 1-for-3 with an RBI to extend her career-long hitting streak to eight games.

 

After a scoreless first inning, Creighton jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the second on the strength of a two-run, pinch-hit home run off the bat of Laura Kratochvil.

 

The Bluejays added to their lead one inning later off Hill. An error, a single and a three-run homer from Michelle Graner gave Creighton a 5-0 lead.

 

The Huskers’ first scoring chance came in the top of the fourth, when a pair of singles gave Nebraska runners on first and second, but a ground out ended the inning.

 

Creighton extended its lead to 7-0 on an error, a double and a two-run single three batters into the bottom of the inning.

 

Nebraska got its first two runners on base in the top of the sixth, but a line out and a double play erased the threat.

 

NU nearly brought the tying run to the plate in the top of the seventh, as three straight singles gave the Huskers the bases loaded with no outs. After a strike out, freshman Kelli Linke picked up her second career RBI when she coaxed a bases-loaded walk to score Carwile. Rutherford then picked up an RBI with a ground out to cut the deficit to 7-2. With the tying run on deck, junior Meghan Mullin flew out to left to end the game.

 

After playing 22 of their first 26 games away from Lincoln, the Huskers return home this weekend for a two-game series with the 12th-ranked Oklahoma Sooners on Saturday and Sunday at Bowlin Stadium.

Box Score Nebraska Softball Nebraska at Creighton Mar 26, 2008 at Omaha, Neb. (CU Sports Complex)

Nebraska 2 (13-13)

Player AB R H RBI BB SO PO A LOB ------------------------------------------------------ Rutherford, Darcy lf..... 4 0 1 1 0 0 1 0 0 Mullin, Meghan cf........ 3 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 2 Guile, Ashley dp......... 3 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 Hughes, Abby pr......... 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Duran, Amanda c.......... 3 0 1 0 0 0 9 0 1 Carwile, Crystal 1b...... 3 1 2 0 0 1 5 0 0 Long, Haley rf........... 3 1 1 0 0 0 1 0 2 Brechtel, Julie 2b....... 3 0 1 0 0 1 1 1 1 Barrett, Whitney ss...... 3 0 0 0 0 2 1 0 0 Foland, Heidi 3b......... 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 Pascale, Brittany ph.... 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 Linke, Kelli ph......... 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 Liegl, Sammi pr......... 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Hupp, Alex p............. 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 Hill, Molly p........... 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 Totals................... 27 2 7 2 1 6 18 4 6

Creighton 7 (22-10)

Player AB R H RBI BB SO PO A LOB ------------------------------------------------------ Jadlowski, Jessi rf...... 3 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 2 Dawson, Bailey ss........ 3 1 0 0 0 0 1 1 1 Eadus, TJ c.............. 3 1 1 0 1 0 6 1 0 Stigge, Jess pr......... 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Sinkler, Renae 1b........ 4 1 3 2 0 0 10 0 0 Graner, Michelle lf...... 4 1 1 3 0 3 1 0 2 Nee, Cassidy dp.......... 3 0 1 0 1 1 0 0 0 Emmsley-Chang, Lau pr... 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Koch, Michelle 2b........ 4 1 1 0 0 3 0 1 1 Wakasugi, Jessica cf..... 2 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 Kratochvil, Laura ph.... 1 1 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 McKewon, Liz 3b.......... 1 0 0 0 1 1 3 6 0 Humpal, Emily ph........ 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 Oltman, Tara p........... 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 Totals................... 29 7 9 7 4 10 21 10 9

Score by Innings R H E ----------------------------------------- Nebraska............ 000 000 2 - 2 7 2 Creighton........... 023 200 X - 7 9 1 -----------------------------------------

E - Foland(5); Hill(2); Koch(3). DP - Bluejays 1. LOB - Huskers 6; Bluejays 9. 2B - Eadus(5); Koch(2). HR - Graner(3); Kratochvil(1). HBP - Mullin. SH - Dawson(7). SB - Eadus(2); Sinkler(1). CS - Mullin(2).

Nebraska IP H R ER BB SO AB BF NP -------------------------------------------------- Hupp, Alex.......... 2.0 3 2 2 2 2 8 11 49 Hill, Molly......... 4.0 6 5 3 2 8 21 23 90

Creighton IP H R ER BB SO AB BF NP -------------------------------------------------- Oltman, Tara........ 7.0 7 2 2 1 6 27 29 136

Win - Oltman (15-4). Loss - Hupp (6-6). Save - None. WP - Hill(7). HBP - by Oltman (Mullin). Pitches/strikes: Hupp 49/28; Hill 90/54; Oltman 136/87. Umpires - HP: Scott Mair 1B: Andy Hahn 3B: Kevin Killingsworth Start: 6:00 pm Time: 2:19 Attendance: 608 Game: NU26