Huskers Fall to Baylor in 10 Innings

Waco, Texas - It was another heartbreaking end to a Big 12 road game for the Nebraska softball team on Saturday night in Waco, Texas, as Baylor scored twice in the bottom of the 10th inning to erase a one-run deficit and rally for a 4-3 win over the Huskers.

Freshman Jamie Gay scored the go-ahead run for Nebraska in the top of the 10th, but Baylor came back to earn the win in the bottom of the frame. Meagan Weldon tied the game with a one-out sacrifice fly, before Bree Hanafin capped a 3-for-4 day with a long RBI single to center that scored Nicole Wesley with the game-winning run. Hanafin's hit marked Nebraska's third loss on a walk-off base hit in Big 12 play this season.

Each of the Huskers' five Big 12 road losses have come by a single run, while the opponent has scored the winning run in its final turn at bat in four of those defeats, including Saturday. With the loss, Nebraska fell to 29-13 on the season and 6-7 in Big 12 Conference play. Baylor improved to 33-16 overall with the win and 9-4 in conference action.

Nebraska showed determination to be in the game in the late innings. The Huskers managed only five hits in the game, while senior right-hander Molly Hill allowed a career-high 14 hits to the Lady Bears. Hill (19-9) took the loss, allowing four runs (three earned) in a career-high 9.2 innings. Her four runs and three earned runs were the most she has allowed in Big 12 play this season.

Baylor left-hander Whitney Canion earned the win for the Lady Bears. The Big 12 leader in strikeouts and wins, Canion (21-12) tossed a complete-game five-hitter, while adding 16 strikeouts. Each of the three runs she allowed were unearned.

Baylor's final two runs marked its first runs in nine innings, as the Lady Bears took an early 2-0 lead with two runs in the bottom of the first inning. After Canion struck out the side in order in the top of the first, a pair of infield singles put runners at first and third with two outs. Courtney Oberg then hit the first ball out of the infield with an RBI single to left. A fourth infield single followed to load the bases, before Megan Turk's grounder got through the infield and into center field for another two-out RBI single that put Baylor on top 2-0.

One inning later, a four-pitch walk, a slap single to left and a fifth infield single gave Baylor the bases loaded with no outs. Nebraska then had a ground ball bounce its way, as All-American Brette Regan hit a hard grounder back to Hill, who threw home for the force out and senior Amanda Duran then threw to first to complete the double play. Hill then recorded a strikeout to keep it at a two-run deficit.

Hill recovered from the rough start to limit the Baylor offense for the middle innings. Hill retired nine consecutive batters from the second to the fifth innings, while Baylor had only three hits from the third through the seventh frame.

Nebraska threatened for the first time in the top of the third. Back-to-back one-out singles put two Huskers aboard before a strikeout and a ground out ended the threat.

Hill retired the Lady Bears in order for the first time in the third thanks to some great defensive plays. With one out, Nicole Wesley slapped a hard grounder to the right side that senior Crystal Carwile dove to her right and snagged. She then flipped the ball out of her glove to a charging Julie Brechtel and the sophomore just beat the speedy Wesley to the bag for the bang-bang-out. Then with two outs, Turk lined a ball the opposite way to right, where senior Haley Long made a fantastic diving grab to end the inning.

NU then got a leadoff double from Duran in the top of the fourth, but Canion battled back to strike out the next three batters.

Nebraska tied the game at 2-2 thanks to a key error in the top of the sixth. Brechtel coaxed a leadoff walk and sophomore Kelli Linke followed with a single. Both runners moved up a base on a one-out passed ball before senior Darcy Rutherford hit a grounder to third. Turk fielded the ball cleanly, but her throw to first was wild allowing Brechtel and freshman pinch-runner Nikki Haget to score.

Neither team scored again until Nebraska took its only lead of the game in the top of the 10th. Gay was placed on second to start the inning in accordance with the international tie breaker. She quickly moved to third on a sacrifice bunt from sophomore Heidi Foland. Senior Meghan Mullin then hit a grounder to third, but Baylor tried to catch Gay off third base and both runners wound up safe. A passed ball then allowed Gay to score and Mullin went all the way to third on the play.

Leading 3-2, the Huskers had Mullin on third and only one out, but Canion struck out the next two batters to keep it a 3-2 game.

That set the stage for the Lady Bears' rally in the bottom of the 10th. Nicole Wesley started the inning with a perfectly-placed bunt single that put runners at first and third. Runners stood at second and third following a ground out, before Weldon's sacrifice fly to right tied the game. Hanafin then lined a 1-1 pitch over Mullin's head in center for the game-winning hit.

Nebraska and Baylor wrap up their two-game series on Sunday at Noon.

Box Score 2009 Nebraska Softball Nebraska at Baylor Apr 18, 2009 at Waco, Texas (Getterman Stadium)

Nebraska 3 (29-13,6-7 Big 12)

Player AB R H RBI BB SO PO A LOB ------------------------------------------------------ Mullin, Meghan cf........ 5 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 Brechtel, Julie 2b....... 4 1 0 0 1 3 4 3 0 Linke, Kelli rf/dp....... 5 0 1 0 0 3 0 0 3 Haget, Nikki pr......... 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Duran, Amanda c.......... 4 0 1 0 0 1 4 2 0 Pascale, Brittany dp..... 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 Long, Haley rf.......... 3 0 0 0 0 1 3 1 0 Rutherford, Darcy lf..... 4 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 Carwile, Crystal 1b...... 3 0 0 0 1 1 14 2 2 Gay, Jamie 3b............ 4 1 0 0 0 2 2 6 2 Barrett, Whitney ss...... 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Foland, Heidi ss........ 3 0 1 0 0 2 2 3 0 Hill, Molly p............ 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 Totals................... 36 3 5 0 2 16 29 20 7

Baylor 4 (33-16,9-4 Big 12)

Player AB R H RBI BB SO PO A LOB ------------------------------------------------------ Wesley, Tiffany lf....... 5 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 Walker, Kayce rf......... 5 1 2 0 0 0 1 0 2 Reagan, Brette dp........ 4 0 1 0 1 2 0 0 0 Lujan, Sophia pr........ 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Colyer, Alex 1b.......... 5 1 1 0 0 2 10 2 2 Oberg, Courtney c........ 4 0 2 1 1 0 16 0 0 Wilson, Sydney pr....... 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Wesley, Nicole cf........ 5 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 4 Turk, Megan 3b........... 5 0 2 1 0 0 0 1 0 Weldon, Meagan 2b/ph..... 4 0 0 1 0 0 2 3 3 Freeland, KJ pr/2b...... 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 Hanafin, Bree ss......... 4 0 3 1 1 0 0 2 0 Canion, Whitney p........ 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 Totals................... 41 4 14 4 3 4 30 10 13

Score by Innings R H E --------------------------------------------- Nebraska............ 000 002 000 1 - 3 5 0 Baylor.............. 200 000 000 2 - 4 14 2 ---------------------------------------------

Note: 2 outs, 1 runner LOB when the game ended.

E - Turk; Canion. DP - Huskers 2. LOB - Huskers 7; Lady Bears 13. 2B - Duran(8); Hanafin. SH - Foland(3). SF - Weldon. SB - Walker; Colyer. CS - Regan.

Nebraska IP H R ER BB SO AB BF NP -------------------------------------------------- Hill, Molly......... 9.2 14 4 3 3 4 41 45 151

Baylor IP H R ER BB SO AB BF NP -------------------------------------------------- Canion, Whitney..... 10.0 5 3 0 2 16 36 39 167

Win - Canion (21-12). Loss - Hill (19-9). Save - None. WP - Hill(11). PB - Oberg 2. Pitches/strikes: Hill 151/90; Canion 167/111. Umpires - HP: Larry Nagel 1B: Steve McCown 3B: Terry Holt Start: 6:06 pm Time: 3:03 Attendance: 934 Game: NU42