Errors Cost Nebraska in 10-inning Loss

Lubbock, Texas ? A pair of errors in the bottom of the 10th inning allowed the winning run to score, as Texas Tech completed a sweep of the Nebraska softball team with a 2-1 come-from-behind victory on Sunday in front of a school-record 771 fans at Rocky Johnson Field.

 

Nebraska (16-18, 0-6 Big 12) out-hit Texas Tech, 7-3, but the Huskers stranded 10 runners in the game. In Nebraska’s half of the 10th, freshman Abby Hughes was placed on second base in accordance with the international tie breaker. Junior Meghan Mullin then reached on an infield single, but she was tagged out in a rundown between first and second. Hughes went to third on the play, but a pop out and a ground out by the Huskers’ No. 3 and 4 hitters left the game tied.

That set the stage for the Red Raiders to win in the bottom of the inning. Texas Tech had runners on first and second following a leadoff walk before an error loaded the bases. NU then recorded a force out at home, before Jennifer Corkin hit a soft grounder back to Husker pitcher Molly Hill. Hill had ample time to throw home for the second out, but she couldn’t find her handle on the ball and Leah Legler raced home from third for the winning run.

 

With the victory, Texas Tech (11-27, 3-4 Big 12) swept the season series from Nebraska for the first time ever. Since the Big 12 Conference was formed in 1996, the Huskers had swept the Red Raiders 10 times, while the teams split in 1997 and 2001.

Hill (7-8) was the hard-luck loser, as she did not allow a hit in 4.1 innings of relief and was tagged for just the one unearned run. Sophomore right-hander Alex Hupp earned the start and allowed just one run on only three hits in five innings of work.

 

Ashly Jacobs (5-9) earned the win in relief of starter Tye Coats. Jacobs tossed 4.2 innings of scoreless relief, allowing three hits, while Coats surrendered one run on four hits in 5.1 innings.

Six different Huskers had hits in the game, but Nebraska finished just 1-for-17 with runners on base. Junior Crystal Carwile led the way with two hits ? one shy of Tech’s team total ? while freshman Julie Brechtel added the Huskers’ lone RBI.

Nebraska ran into some tough luck in the first inning. Junior Darcy Rutherford was hit by the first pitch of the game and junior Meghan Mullin followed with a grounder up the middle. Legler, the Texas Tech shortstop, made a diving stop of Mullin’s grounder and her momentum carried her close enough to second base to reach out with her glove and touch the bag just ahead of Rutherford. Mullin was then caught stealing before a ground out ended the inning.

 

The bad luck continued to the bottom of the inning, as Rutherford had to be removed from the game, while junior Brittany Pascale was the surprise starter behind the plate, making her first appearance at catcher in nearly a year. Regular starter Amanda Duran was held out while nursing a hand injury and freshman Ashley Guile, who was listed as the starting catcher on the lineup card, was scratched from her catching duties and moved to the designated player role.

 

The game remained scoreless until the top of the fourth before Brechtel singled home junior Haley Long with two outs to give Nebraska a 1-0 lead ? its first lead in Big 12 play this season. The Huskers had a chance for more with runners on second and third, but Legler showed good range on a ground ball up the middle to retire Pascale for the final out.

Texas Tech answered in the bottom of the fifth to tie the game at 1-1. The first two runners reached base on a hit and a walk before Legler singled home Jennifer Bowers with one out. The Red Raiders still had two on with only one out, but Hupp escaped further damage by recording a fly out and a strike out.

 

Nebraska had the better of the scoring chances over the next few innings before Texas Tech’s game-winning run in the 10th.

Following the two games at Texas Tech, Nebraska returns home to play 12 of its final 15 regular-season games at Bowlin Stadium. The Huskers kick off a brief three-game homestand on Wednesday, with a 6 p.m. contest against Creighton.

Box Score Nebraska Softball Nebraska at Texas Tech Apr 06, 2008 at Lubbock, Texas (Rocky Johnson Field)

Nebraska 1 (16-18,0-6 Big 12)

Player AB R H RBI BB SO PO A LOB ------------------------------------------------------ Rutherford, Darcy lf..... 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Hughes, Abby lf/rf...... 4 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 Mullin, Meghan cf........ 4 0 1 0 0 0 2 0 1 Linke, Kelli ph......... 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 Long, Haley rf/lf........ 4 1 1 0 1 0 1 0 0 Carwile, Crystal 1b...... 5 0 2 0 0 1 7 1 1 Guile, Ashley c/dp....... 3 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 Brechtel, Julie 2b....... 3 0 1 1 1 0 2 3 0 Pascale, Brittany dp/c... 4 0 0 0 0 1 9 0 7 Foland, Heidi 3b......... 4 0 0 0 0 0 4 1 0 Hupp, Alex p............. 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 Hill, Molly p........... 2 0 0 0 0 2 0 2 0 Barrett, Whitney ss/pr... 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 Totals................... 35 1 7 1 2 5 28 8 10

Texas Tech 2 (11-27,3-4 Big 12)

Player AB R H RBI BB SO PO A LOB ------------------------------------------------------ Legler, Leah ss.......... 4 1 1 1 1 1 4 6 0 Zaragoza, Devin lf....... 3 0 1 0 0 0 3 0 0 Patin, Montana rf........ 4 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 2 Corkin, Jennifer 1b...... 2 0 0 0 3 0 11 1 1 Krause, Jennifer pr..... 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Shupp, Megan 2b.......... 4 0 0 0 0 2 6 5 0 Eimen, Elizabeth dp...... 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Lee, Jennifer ph........ 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 2 Wike, Robyn c............ 4 0 1 0 0 0 5 1 1 Bowers, Jennifer 3b...... 2 1 0 0 2 1 0 3 0 Riley, Whitney cf........ 4 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 2 Coats, Tye p............. 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 Jacobs, Ashly p......... 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 Totals................... 30 2 3 1 6 7 30 19 11

Score by Innings R H E --------------------------------------------- Nebraska............ 000 100 000 0 - 1 7 3 Texas Tech.......... 000 010 000 1 - 2 3 1 ---------------------------------------------

Note: 1 out, 3 runners LOB when the game ended.

E - Pascale(1); Hill(4); Barrett(7); Corkin. DP - Huskers 1. LOB - Huskers 10; Red Raiders 11. 2B - Hughes(1). HBP - Rutherford; Hupp; Zaragoza. SH - Barrett(1); Zaragoza; Patin. CS - Mullin(3). Reached on CI - Eimen.

Nebraska IP H R ER BB SO AB BF NP -------------------------------------------------- Hupp, Alex.......... 5.0 3 1 1 4 2 17 22 75 Hill, Molly......... 4.1 0 1 0 2 5 13 18 67

Texas Tech IP H R ER BB SO AB BF NP -------------------------------------------------- Coats, Tye.......... 5.1 4 1 1 1 2 20 23 63 Jacobs, Ashly....... 4.2 3 0 0 1 3 15 17 60

Win - Jacobs (5-9). Loss - Hill (7-8). Save - None. HBP - by Coats (Rutherford); by Coats (Hupp); by Hill (Zaragoza). CI - Pascale. Pitches/strikes: Hupp 75/39; Hill 67/38; Coats 63/36; Jacobs 60/42. Umpires - Start: 1:00 pm Time: 3:11 Attendance: 771 Hupp faced 1 batter in the 6th. Game: NU34