Huskers Shut Out by No. 12 Sooners

Lincoln ? A pair of two-run, fifth-inning home runs broke up an early pitcher’s duel and powered No. 12 Oklahoma past the Nebraska softball team, 6-0, in the first game of a doubleheader on Saturday at Bowlin Stadium.

 

The first home run marked the first runs the Nebraska pitching staff had allowed at home this season. The staff’s scoreless innings streak was snapped at 28.1, while NU allowed an earned run at home for the first time in 37.0 innings dating back to last year’s NCAA Tournament at Bowlin Stadium.

 

With the loss, Nebraska (13-14) fell to 0-3 in the Big 12 Conference, marking NU’s worst start in the 13-year history of the league. The Huskers were also shut out at home for the first time since the 2005 NCAA Tournament and for the first time in the regular season since April 24, 2005.

 

Junior right-hander Molly Hill took the loss, falling to 6-5 on the season. Hill allowed six runs (four earned) on nine hits in six innings of work. Freshman right-hander Tori Tyson made her Big 12 debut, pitching a hitless seventh inning.

 

Oklahoma's D.J. Mathis improved to 18-3 on the season by tossing her ninth shutout of the season. Mathis allowed just four hits while striking out nine to lower her ERA to 0.86 on the season. Behind Mathis, OU improved to 29-8 overall and remained perfect at 3-0 in the Big 12 Conference.

 

Neither team mounted much of an offensive threat through the first four innings as the teams combined for just five hits. Oklahoma was the only team to get a runner past first base early on, stranding a runner at second in both the first and third innings.

 

The Sooners took a 2-0 lead on Savannah Long’s two-run home run in the top of the fifth. After a walk to Amber Flores, the Huskers thought they had Long struck out on a 1-2 pitch that was ruled outside, before Long hit a towering drive to left that cleared the fence by about 10 feet with the wind gusting out at nearly 30 miles per hour.

 

After a Nebraska error extended the inning, Susan Ogden drilled a two-out, two-run homer to left that nearly left the entire complex.

 

The Huskers got their first runner to third with only one out in the bottom of the frame before stranding runners at second and third.

 

Oklahoma added two more runs in the top of the sixth on an RBI double and a two-out single.

 

Offensively for Nebraska, junior Darcy Rutherford finished 1-for-3 as one of one of Huskers recorded four hits. Rutherford's leadoff single in the bottom of the first extended her career-best hitting streak to nine games.

Box Score Nebraska Softball #12 Oklahoma at Nebraska (Game 1) Mar 29, 2008 at Lincoln, Neb. (Bowlin Stadium)

Oklahoma 6 (29-8,3-0 Big 12)

Player AB R H RBI BB SO PO A LOB ------------------------------------------------------ Flores, Amber cf/lf...... 3 1 2 0 1 0 0 0 0 Long, Savannah ss........ 4 1 2 3 0 2 0 1 0 Dickenson, Traci 2b...... 4 0 1 0 0 0 3 2 1 Ricketts, Samantha 1b.... 2 0 0 0 2 0 6 0 2 McDonald, Iver pr....... 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Ogden, Susan rf.......... 3 1 1 2 0 1 1 0 2 Huey, Krystle cf........ 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 Vandever, Lindsey c...... 4 0 0 0 0 1 8 2 0 Trott, Wendy dp.......... 3 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 Dobbs, Dani pr/dp....... 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 Legendre, Jessica 3b..... 3 1 1 1 0 1 0 4 1 Anderson, Haley lf/rf.... 2 0 0 0 1 0 2 0 0 Mathis, D.J. p........... 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Totals................... 30 6 9 6 4 5 21 9 7

Nebraska 0 (13-14,0-3 Big 12)

Player AB R H RBI BB SO PO A LOB ------------------------------------------------------ Rutherford, Darcy lf..... 3 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 2 Mullin, Meghan cf........ 3 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 Guile, Ashley dp......... 3 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 Duran, Amanda c.......... 3 0 0 0 0 1 5 2 0 Carwile, Crystal 1b...... 3 0 1 0 0 1 9 0 2 Long, Haley rf........... 2 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 Brechtel, Julie 2b....... 2 0 1 0 0 0 3 0 1 Barrett, Whitney ss/3b... 1 0 0 0 1 1 1 3 0 Linke, Kelli ph......... 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Foland, Heidi 3b......... 2 0 0 0 0 1 2 3 0 Pascale, Brittany ph.... 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 Hill, Molly p............ 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 Tyson, Tori p........... 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Totals................... 24 0 4 0 2 9 21 10 6

Score by Innings R H E ----------------------------------------- Oklahoma............ 000 042 0 - 6 9 1 Nebraska............ 000 000 0 - 0 4 1 -----------------------------------------

E - Mathis(1); Carwile(2). LOB - Sooners 7; Huskers 6. 2B - Long(11); Legendre(3). HR - Long(8); Ogden(8). SH - Brechtel(2). SB - Flores(5); McDonald(4); Foland(4). CS - Rutherford(1).

Oklahoma IP H R ER BB SO AB BF NP -------------------------------------------------- Mathis, D.J......... 7.0 4 0 0 2 9 24 27 101

Nebraska IP H R ER BB SO AB BF NP -------------------------------------------------- Hill, Molly......... 6.0 9 6 4 3 5 27 30 121 Tyson, Tori......... 1.0 0 0 0 1 0 3 4 12

Win - Mathis (18-3). Loss - Hill (6-5). Save - None. WP - Mathis 2(3). PB - Duran(2). Pitches/strikes: Mathis 101/63; Hill 121/69; Tyson 12/7. Umpires - HP: Jeff Sloan 1B: Steve McCown 3B: Scott Mair Start: 1:01 pm Time: 2:13 Attendance: Game: NU27