Huskers Complete Sweep with 6-2 Win

Lincoln ? Junior Robin Mackin pitched four hitless innings and had three hits to help the Nebraska softball team complete a doubleheader sweep of UNK with a 6-2 win in game two Wednesday night at Bowlin Stadium.

Mackin was making her Bowlin Stadium debut on Wednesday after being awarded a medical hardship in her first season at Nebraska in 2009. A 2007 All-American at Fresno State, Mackin showed her recovery is going well. In her four hitless innings, Mackin walked only one while striking out six. Offensively, Mackin went 3-for-4 with three singles, a run scored and an RBI.

Sophomore Madison Drake also had an outstanding day at the plate, finishing 3-for-3 with a double and an RBI. Juniors Julie Brechtel (2-for-4) and Tori Tyson (2-for-2) added two hits each as the Huskers out-hit the Lopers, 15-2.

After Mackin exited the game, senior Alex Hupp came on in relief and allowed two runs (one earned) on only three hits in 3.0 innings of work.

Becky Dunn took the loss for UNK, allowing six runs (five earned) on 14 hits in 5.0 innings.

In the bottom of the first, Nebraska sent 10 batters to the plate while taking a 4-0 lead. Brechtel led off with a bloop double that landed just fair down the left field line. She moved to third on a sacrifice from sophomore Nikki Haget, before Mackin lined the first pitch she saw into left for an RBI single. Sophomore Ashley Guile and junior Heidi Foland followed with bloop singles to load the bases with only one out.

After the Lopers recorded the second out of the inning, sophomore Jamie Gay sent a hard grounder off the pitcher for an infield single that scored Mackin to put the Huskers in front 2-1. On the play, a throwing error by UNK’s Cassie Keck allowed freshman pinch-runner Brooke Thomason to also score. Following a walk that re-loaded the bases, Drake made it 4-0 with an RBI infield single that plated Foland.

The Huskers were held off the scoreboard again until the bottom of the fourth. Brechtel, Tyson and Mackin led off the frame with consecutive singles to load the bases. Guile then brought Brechtel home with a sacrifice fly, before Foland came back from a 1-2 count to draw a walk and load the bases again. Senior Whitney Barrett made it 6-0 Big Red with an RBI ground out to second.

 

UNK broke up a no-hitter and spoiled the shutout with two outs in the fifth inning when Sydney Kosmicki doubled off the wall in right to score pinch-runner Sara Palmer.

The Lopers added another run in the sixth when Keck ripped an RBI double just inside the third base bag to cut the NU lead to 6-2. 

 

Hupp then retired UNK in order in the seventh to close out the victory.

Nebraska returns to the field on Friday for a doubleheader scrimmage with Wayne State beginning at 6 p.m. at Bowlin Stadium. Admission is free for both games.

Box Score 2009 Nebraska Softball Nebraska-Kearney at Nebraska (Game 2) Sep 23, 2009 at Lincoln, Neb. (Bowlin Stadium)

Nebraska-Kearney 2 (0-2)

Player AB R H RBI BB SO PO A LOB ------------------------------------------------------ Larsen, Alissa cf........ 3 0 0 0 1 0 3 0 2 Fernau, Taylor rf........ 3 0 0 0 0 2 1 0 1 Smith, Kelsey ss......... 2 0 0 0 1 1 1 1 0 Wilson, Austin pr....... 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Keck, Cassie 3b.......... 3 0 1 1 0 2 2 3 1 Hiatt, Kirstie dp........ 3 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 Gormley, Laura 1b........ 3 0 0 0 0 1 5 0 1 Palmer, Sara pr......... 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Dunn, Sara c............. 2 0 0 0 0 2 1 0 0 Liebhardt ph............ 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Nutt, Mallory lf......... 3 0 1 0 0 1 1 0 0 Kosmicki, Sydnee 2b...... 2 0 1 1 0 1 4 2 0 Frost, Allie ph......... 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Dunn, Becky p............ 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Mowinkel, Dani p........ 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 Totals................... 26 2 3 2 2 11 18 7 5

Nebraska 6 (2-0)

Player AB R H RBI BB SO PO A LOB ------------------------------------------------------ Brechtel, Julie dp....... 4 2 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 Haget, Nikki cf/pr....... 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 Tyson, Tori cf.......... 2 1 2 0 0 0 3 0 0 Mackin, Robin p/dp....... 4 1 3 1 0 0 0 1 0 Scott, Keela pr/ph...... 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 2 Guile, Ashley c.......... 3 0 1 1 0 0 7 4 1 Thomason, Brooke pr..... 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Foland, Heidi ss......... 2 1 1 0 1 0 1 1 2 Barrett, Whitney 2b...... 3 0 0 1 0 0 1 2 0 Gay, Jamie 1b............ 3 0 1 1 0 0 8 0 2 Southworth, Megan rf..... 2 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 0 Drake, Madison lf........ 3 0 3 1 0 0 0 0 0 Banda, Gabby 3b.......... 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 3 Hupp, Alex p............ 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Totals................... 30 6 15 5 2 0 21 10 10

Score by Innings R H E ----------------------------------------- Nebraska-Kearney.... 000 011 0 - 2 3 2 Nebraska............ 400 200 X - 6 15 2 -----------------------------------------

E - Larsen; Keck; Scott; Foland. DP - Lopers 1. LOB - Lopers 5; Cornhuskers 10. 2B - Keck; Kosmicki; Brechtel; Drake. SH - Haget. SF - Guile.

Nebraska-Kearney IP H R ER BB SO AB BF NP -------------------------------------------------- Dunn, Becky......... 5.0 14 6 5 2 0 26 30 80 Mowinkel, Dani...... 1.0 1 0 0 0 0 4 4 14

Nebraska IP H R ER BB SO AB BF NP -------------------------------------------------- Mackin, Robin....... 4.0 0 0 0 1 6 13 14 51 Hupp, Alex.......... 3.0 3 2 1 1 5 13 14 58

Win - Mackin (1-0). Loss - Dunn, B. (0-1). Save - None. WP - Mowinkel; Mackin; Hupp. Pitches/strikes: Dunn, B. 80/48; Mowinkel 14/9; Mackin 51/29; Hupp 58/37. Umpires - Start: 8:09 pm Time: 1:38 Attendance: 300 Game: NU2