Huskers Beat Bluejays, 3-1

Omaha - The Nebraska softball team survived a seventh-inning scare and posted a 3-1 victory over the Creighton Bluejays on Tuesday night at the CU Sports Complex.

The Huskers led 3-0 entering the bottom of the seventh before a Nebraska error prolonged the inning. With two outs, Creighton cut the lead to 3-1 with an RBI single before the tying runners moved into scoring position. Lincoln native Bailey Dawson then lofted a 3-2 change-up to deep left field, but senior Darcy Rutherford, an Omaha native, calmly set up just in front of the fence and caught the game's final out.

With the win, Nebraska snapped a four-game losing streak to Creighton and improved to 33-15 on the season. The Bluejays fell to 31-14 with the loss.

Senior right-hander Molly Hill earned the win, as she did not allow an earned run while improving to 23-11 on the season. Hill fired a six-hitter and struck out nine, while allowing just the one unearned run. Creighton's Tara Oltman took the loss, dropping to 25-10 on the season. Oltman allowed three runs on six hits in a complete-game effort, striking out four and walking two.

Offensively, sophomore Julie Brechtel and senior Crystal Carwile provided the big hits for the Huskers. Brechtel homered to give Nebraska a 1-0 lead in the second and Carwile came through with a clutch two-out, two run single one inning later to account for the three Husker runs.

NU scored the game's first run thanks to Brechtel's fifth home run of the season. With one out, Brechtel launched a 1-0 pitch the opposite way to left for a one-out solo home run.

In the bottom of the frame, a one-out single and a ground-rule double put Bluejays at second and third. Following a pop out, Hill hit the next batter to load the bases with two outs, before escaping the jam with a strikeout.

In the top of the third, junior Whitney Barrett led off with a single and quickly stole second. Barrett moved up to third with two outs on a sacrifice bunt from Rutherford before senior Amanda Duran walked. After Duran stole second, Carwile came up with a clutch two-out hit, as she laced a 2-2 pitch up the middle for a two-run single.

Nebraska had another scoring chance in the top of the fifth. Senior Meghan Mullin and Rutherford reached on consecutive one-out singles, but Mullin was immediately caught stealing attempting to swipe third. Duran was then hit by a pitch to put runners at first and second with two outs before Carwile struck out swinging.

Creighton had been unable to muster much offense against Hill since leaving the bases loaded in the second, but things got dicey for Hill and the Huskers in the bottom of the seventh. Jessica Wakasugi reached on an error to start the inning. She went to third on a ground out and was still there with two outs following another ground out. Michelle Koch then lined an 0-2 pitch into left for an RBI single that cut the lead to 3-1. That gave Renae Sinkler, the Bluejays' leading home run hitter with 11, a chance to tie the game with one swing of the bat. Sinkler didn't tie it, but she did line a single to right and Koch went to third on the play, narrowly beating the throw from NU right fielder Haley Long, as the safe call drew the ire of the Husker dugout.

With the tying runners in scoring position and still two outs, Dawson stepped to the plate and missed a walk-off, three-run homer by just a few feet.

Nebraska closes the regular season this weekend with a two-game series at 14th-ranked Missouri.

Box Score 2009 Nebraska Softball Nebraska at Creighton Apr 28, 2009 at Omaha, Neb. (CU Sports Complex)

Nebraska 3 (33-15)

Player AB R H RBI BB SO PO A LOB ------------------------------------------------------ Mullin, Meghan cf........ 3 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 Rutherford, Darcy lf..... 3 0 1 0 0 1 1 0 1 Duran, Amanda c.......... 1 1 0 0 1 1 9 0 0 Carwile, Crystal 1b...... 3 0 1 2 0 1 9 0 2 Linke, Kelli dp.......... 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 Brechtel, Julie 2b....... 3 1 1 1 0 1 0 1 0 Gay, Jamie 3b............ 3 0 1 0 0 0 1 3 0 Long, Haley rf........... 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 Hupp, Alex ph........... 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Barrett, Whitney ss...... 2 1 1 0 1 0 0 3 0 Hill, Molly p............ 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 2 0 Totals................... 24 3 6 3 2 4 21 9 5

Creighton 1 (31-14)

Player AB R H RBI BB SO PO A LOB ------------------------------------------------------ McKewon, Liz 3b.......... 4 0 0 0 0 2 1 0 3 Koch, Michelle 2b........ 3 0 2 1 1 0 3 3 0 Sinkler, Renae 1b........ 4 0 2 0 0 1 9 0 1 Sakamoto, Kari pr....... 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Dawson, Bailey ss........ 4 0 0 0 0 2 2 1 3 Loeffelholz, Sara dp..... 3 0 0 0 0 3 0 0 1 Graner, Michelle lf...... 2 0 1 0 1 1 2 0 0 Larson, Lauren c......... 3 0 1 0 0 0 4 1 1 Ruf, Christa pr......... 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Wakasugi, Jessica cf..... 3 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Jadlowski, Jessi rf...... 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Oltman, Tara p........... 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 Totals................... 28 1 6 1 2 9 21 8 9

Score by Innings R H E ----------------------------------------- Nebraska............ 012 000 0 - 3 6 1 Creighton........... 000 000 1 - 1 6 0 -----------------------------------------

E - Gay(4). LOB - Huskers 5; Bluejays 9. 2B - Sinkler; Larson. HR - Brechtel(5). HBP - Duran; Jadlowski. SH - Mullin(5); Rutherford(7). SB - Duran(5); Barrett(4). CS - Mullin(3).

Nebraska IP H R ER BB SO AB BF NP -------------------------------------------------- Hill, Molly......... 7.0 6 1 0 2 9 28 31 125

Creighton IP H R ER BB SO AB BF NP -------------------------------------------------- Oltman, Tara........ 7.0 6 3 3 2 4 24 29 128

Win - Hill (23-11). Loss - Oltman (25-10). Save - None. HBP - by Hill (Jadlowski); by Oltman (Duran). PB - Larson. Pitches/strikes: Hill 125/82; Oltman 128/75. Umpires - HP: Scott Miar 1B: Jeff Sloan 3B: Kevin Killingsworth Start: 5:59 pm Time: 2:11 Attendance: 605 Game: NU48