Sooners Complete Sweep of Huskers

Lincoln ? The 12th-ranked Oklahoma softball team pounded four home runs to cap an impressive offensive showing in a doubleheader sweep of Nebraska on Saturday, as the Sooners took game two by a score of 11-1 in front of 562 fans at Bowlin Stadium.

 

Oklahoma, which entered the day ranked third in the country with 51 home runs, hit six home runs in the doubleheader. The Sooners scored 15 runs in the two games after the Huskers had thrown shutouts in each of their first four home games entering the day.

 

Nebraska, which lost for the fifth straight game, fell to 13-15 on the season and 0-4 in the Big 12 Conference. The 10-run loss was Nebraska’s worst overall and worst in Big 12 play since 2000, while the defeat was the Huskers’ worst home loss since 1994 at the Nebraska Softball Complex.

 

Sophomore right-hander Alex Hupp (6-7) took the loss, allowing eight runs (two earned) on nine hits in six innings of work. Making the third home start of her career, Hupp allowed her first run in 13.2 career innings at Bowlin Stadium, while also surrendering her first earned run in 14.2 innings. Freshman right-hander Tori Tyson pitched the final inning, allowing three runs (two earned) on just two hits.

 

Reigning co-Big 12 Pitcher of the Year Lauren Eckermann (10-3) earned the win for Oklahoma, which improved to 30-8 on the season and 4-0 in the Big 12. In a complete-game effort, Eckermann allowed just one run on six hits.

 

Just as they did in game one, the Sooners used a two-run home run to plate the game’s first run. This time it was All-American Samantha Ricketts who provided the blow, belting the first pitch from Hupp well over the wall in right center for OU’s third two-run homer of the afternoon.

 

Nebraska responded with a pair of singles in the bottom of the inning to put the tying runners on base with only one out, before a pop out and a fly out ended the threat.

 

OU added to its lead in the top of the fourth when Jessica Legendre belted a 2-0 offering just fair down the left field line for her first career home run.

 

The Huskers finally got on the board in the bottom of the inning, as junior Crystal Carwile led off with a double and scored on an RBI single from fellow junior Haley Long one batter later.

 

NU threatened again in the fifth inning when the Huskers had runners at first and second with only one out for the third and fourth hitters in the lineup, but Nebraska again came up empty.

 

After Nebraska’s missed opportunity, Oklahoma put the game out of reach by sending nine batters to the plate and scoring five runs in the top of the sixth. Included in the big inning were back-to-back home runs from Amber Flores and Savannah Long.

 

The Sooners continued to pour it on in the seventh, adding three more runs.

 

Offensive for Nebraska, Long finished 2-for-3 with an RBI, while junior Darcy Rutherford singled in the fifth inning to extend her career-best hitting streak to 10 games.

 

In a change from the original schedule, Nebraska will be off on Sunday before hosting a recently-scheduled doubleheader with Northern Iowa on Monday beginning at 2 p.m.

 

Box Score Nebraska Softball #12 Oklahoma at Nebraska (Game 2) Mar 29, 2008 at Lincoln, Neb. (Bowlin Stadium)

Oklahoma 11 (30-8,4-0 Big 12)

Player AB R H RBI BB SO PO A LOB ------------------------------------------------------ Flores, Amber cf......... 4 1 2 2 0 1 2 0 0 Long, Savannah ss........ 4 1 2 1 0 0 3 0 0 Dickenson, Traci 2b...... 3 1 0 1 2 0 2 0 0 Ricketts, Samantha 1b.... 4 1 1 2 1 0 7 0 5 Ogden, Susan rf.......... 3 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 2 Huey, Krystle pr........ 0 2 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 Vandever, Lindsey c...... 4 1 3 0 0 0 4 2 0 McDonald, Iver pr....... 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Trott, Wendy dp.......... 3 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 Jones, Chana'e dp....... 1 0 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 Legendre, Jessica 3b..... 4 3 2 3 0 0 1 2 0 Anderson, Haley lf....... 3 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 1 Dobbs, Dani ph.......... 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Eckermann, Lauren p...... 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Totals................... 34 11 11 11 4 5 21 4 8

Nebraska 1 (13-15,0-4 Big 12)

Player AB R H RBI BB SO PO A LOB ------------------------------------------------------ Rutherford, Darcy lf..... 3 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 Linke, Kelli ph......... 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 Mullin, Meghan cf........ 2 0 1 0 0 0 5 0 0 Hughes, Abby pr......... 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Guile, Ashley dp......... 2 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 Duran, Amanda c.......... 3 0 0 0 0 1 4 1 5 Carwile, Crystal 1b...... 3 1 1 0 0 1 7 0 0 Long, Haley rf........... 3 0 2 1 0 0 1 0 0 Brechtel, Julie 2b....... 3 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 Barrett, Whitney ss...... 3 0 0 0 0 1 1 3 1 Foland, Heidi 3b......... 3 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 Hupp, Alex p............. 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 Tyson, Tori p........... 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 Totals................... 26 1 6 1 1 4 21 7 6

Score by Innings R H E ------------------------------------------ Oklahoma............ 002 105 30 - 11 11 0 Nebraska............ 000 100 0X - 1 6 3 ------------------------------------------

E - Duran(3); Barrett(6); Foland(6). DP - Sooners 1. LOB - Sooners 8; Huskers 6. 2B - Vandever(3); Jones(3); Carwile(4); Long(4). HR - Flores(12); Long(9); Ricketts(7); Legendre(1). HBP - Long; Mullin. SB - Vandever(1); McDonald(5). Reached on CI - Flores.

Oklahoma IP H R ER BB SO AB BF NP -------------------------------------------------- Eckermann, Lauren... 7.0 6 1 1 1 4 26 28 98

Nebraska IP H R ER BB SO AB BF NP -------------------------------------------------- Hupp, Alex.......... 6.0 9 8 2 2 5 28 31 113 Tyson, Tori......... 1.0 2 3 2 2 0 6 9 28

Win - Eckermann (10-3). Loss - Hupp (6-7). Save - None. HBP - by Eckermann (Mullin); by Tyson (Long). CI - Duran. Pitches/strikes: Eckermann 98/64; Hupp 113/73; Tyson 28/17. Umpires - HP: Steve McCown 1B: Scott Mair 3B: Jeff Sloan Start: 3:40 pm Time: 2:12 Attendance: 562 Game: livegame