Huskers Complete Sweep of Coyotes

Lincoln - Senior Meghan Mullin tied a school record with four walks and sophomore right-hander Tori Tyson had her most effective outing as a Husker, as the Nebraska softball team completed a doubleheader sweep of South Dakota with a 5-2 win in game two at Bowlin Stadium on Wednesday.

Tyson had a shutout going through the first 6.2 innings before Jasey Goedeken launched a two-run homer just over the left field fence with two outs in the seventh inning. Despite the homer, Tyson tossed her first career complete game to improve to 2-0 on the season. She allowed a career-low two runs on eight hits while striking out four and walking only one.

Her one walk came in stark contrast to South Dakota starter Brittany Donohue. Behind Mullin's record-tying total, the Huskers walked 10 times on the day, the most by a Nebraska team since 2003. NU was out-hit in the contest 8-7, but senior Haley Long and sophomore Heidi Foland each finished with two hits in the game. Long added an RBI while Foland tripled and scored twice. Sophomore Julie Brechtel finished with a double and two RBIs to mark her third multi-RBI effort of the year.

Donohue (4-4) worked around the 10 walks and seven hits to allow only two earned runs in a complete-game effort for the Coyotes (14-6).

Nebraska jumped out to a quick 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first. Mullin and fellow senior Darcy Rutherford reached to lead off the inning and were at second and third with two outs. Brechtel then came through with a clutch two-out double down the left-field line to bring both runners home.

In the top of the third, South Dakota appeared to score its first run of the game. With a runner on third and only one out, Callie Roan lifted a fly ball to left field and Goedeken tagged up and came home. But the Huskers appealed that Goedeken left third base early and the umpire ruled in Nebraska's favor to erase the run.

The Huskers added two more runs in the bottom of the third. An error and a pair of walks loaded the bases with two outs. Sophomore Kelli Linke came on to pinch hit and quickly fell behind 0-2 before fighting back to draw an RBI walk that scored junior pinch-runner Alex Hupp. Junior Whitney Barrett then lined an RBI single into right that scored Long, but freshman Kirby Wright was thrown out at home attempting to score from second.

After Tyson escaped a two-on, one-out jam in the top of the fifth, Nebraska added an insurance run in the bottom of the frame. Foland led off with the Huskers' first triple of the season and scored two batters later on a slap single up the middle by Long that put NU in front 5-0.

Tyson then allowed her only runs of the game in the seventh inning before coaxing a game-ending ground out to give Nebraska its 13th win in its last 14 games.

After sweeping its midweek doubleheaders, the Huskers (19-4) open Big 12 Conference play this weekend at 19th-ranked Texas A&M, the defending Big 12 champion.

Box Score 2009 Nebraska Softball South Dakota at Nebraska (Game 2) Mar 18, 2009 at Lincoln, Neb. (Bowlin Stadium)

South Dakota 2 (14-6)

Player AB R H RBI BB SO PO A LOB ------------------------------------------------------ Rudeen, Alexa 1b......... 4 0 0 0 0 2 1 1 0 Roan, Callie ss.......... 2 0 0 1 0 0 2 0 2 Jones, Tagney cf......... 3 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 Fricke, Rachel c......... 3 0 2 0 0 1 6 1 0 Novotny, Alaina 3b....... 3 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 Jones, Michelle lf....... 2 1 1 0 1 0 0 0 1 Eversley, Lexie dp....... 3 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 Bahlmann, Dani 2b........ 3 0 1 0 0 0 4 0 2 Goedeken, Jasey rf....... 3 1 3 2 0 0 2 1 0 Donohue, Brittany p...... 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 Totals................... 26 2 8 3 1 4 18 4 5

Nebraska 5 (19-5)

Player AB R H RBI BB SO PO A LOB ------------------------------------------------------ Mullin, Meghan cf........ 0 1 0 0 4 0 2 0 0 Rutherford, Darcy lf..... 3 1 1 0 1 0 2 0 4 Carwile, Crystal 1b...... 4 0 0 0 0 1 6 0 0 Duran, Amanda dp......... 1 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 Hupp, Alex pr/dp........ 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Brechtel, Julie 2b....... 3 0 1 2 1 0 3 3 2 Foland, Heidi 3b......... 4 2 2 0 0 0 1 2 1 Wright, Kirby c.......... 2 0 0 0 1 2 4 0 0 Long, Haley rf........... 2 0 2 1 0 0 1 0 0 Linke, Kelli ph......... 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 Barrett, Whitney ss...... 2 0 1 1 1 1 2 2 0 Tyson, Tori p............ 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 Totals................... 23 5 7 5 10 5 21 10 10

Score by Innings R H E ----------------------------------------- South Dakota........ 000 000 2 - 2 8 1 Nebraska............ 202 010 X - 5 7 0 -----------------------------------------

E - Roan, C.(5). DP - Huskers 1. LOB - Coyotes 5; Huskers 10. 2B - Bahlmann, D.(3); Goedeken, J.(1); Brechtel(5). 3B - Foland(1). HR - Goedeken, J.(1). SF - Roan, C.(1). SB - Mullin(10); Foland(8). CS - Long(1).

South Dakota IP H R ER BB SO AB BF NP -------------------------------------------------- Donohue, Brittany... 6.0 7 5 2 10 5 23 33 139

Nebraska IP H R ER BB SO AB BF NP -------------------------------------------------- Tyson, Tori......... 7.0 8 2 2 1 4 26 28 91

Win - Tyson (2-0). Loss - Donohue, B. (4-4). Save - None. WP - Donohue, B.(5). PB - Fricke, R. 2(9). Pitches/strikes: Donohue, B. 139/69; Tyson 91/60. Umpires - HP: Matt Titkemeier 1B: Scott Mair 3B: Kevin Killingsworth Start: 5:05 pm Time: 1:46 Attendance: 424 Game: NU24