Huskers Fall in Season Opener

Las Cruces, N.M. ? In a strange season opener that featured nearly as many hit batters as runs, New Mexico State did more with its opportunities than Nebraska, as the Aggies handed the Husker softball team a 4-2 loss on Thursday at the NMSU Softball Complex.

Nebraska out-hit New Mexico State, 7-4, after the Aggies led the nation in batting average last season. But the Huskers were just 1-for-10 with runners in scoring position, while they aided the NMSU offense with three errors, three walks and three hit batters.

Junior right-hander Robin Mackin (0-1) took the loss in her first start as a Husker and her first collegiate start in exactly 1,000 days. Mackin allowed only four hits in a complete-game effort, but she was charged with four runs (three earned). Three of the four runners who scored in the game reached base on an error, a walk and a hit batter. Mackin also struck out seven.

Torrey Schroeder (1-0) earned the win for New Mexico State, as the Texas transfer allowed one run on five hits in 5.0 innings, while adding eight strikeouts. Kelsey Schroeder picked up her first save of the season by allowing one run on two hits over the final 2.0 innings.

A strange series of events changed the game’s momentum in the fourth inning. Nebraska led 1-0 entering the frame and had recorded the only two hits of the game. Junior Heidi Foland and senior Whitney Barrett then doubled the Huskers’ hit total with back-to-back singles to start the inning. A one-out walk loaded the bases and Nebraska had an opportunity to break the game open before an unusual play got the Aggies out of the jam.

With the bases loaded, Schroeder went to throw a 1-2 pitch to Haget, but the ball slipped out of her hand and went backward to the shortstop. Once the ball slipped away from Schroeder’s grip, Foland instinctively raced home from third but was thrown out. Barrett then was thrown out trying to advance to third for a wild inning-ending double play.

The Aggies then grabbed the lead two batters into the bottom of the inning. An error allowed the leadoff batter to reach before Angie Ortega hit a towering two-run homer to give New Mexico State a 2-1 lead on its first hit of the game. The Aggies had only two baserunners entering the inning and had hit only two balls out of the infield.

New Mexico State added to its lead in the bottom of the fifth as Mackin struggled with her control. Mackin walked two and hit three batters in the inning, as the Aggies added two more runs to stretch the lead to 4-1. Mackin avoided further damage as she left the bases loaded, as New Mexico State sent eight batters to the plate in the inning despite the ball never once leaving the infield.

Nebraska had a chance to get back in the game in the top of the sixth. Guile walked and Mackin singled to begin the inning, before Foland was hit by a pitch from reliever Schueler. But Barrett struck out looking, Hupp grounded into a fielder’s choice where sophomore Madison Drake was forced out at home and junior Tori Tyson hit a soft liner to third for the final out.

The Huskers did get a run back in the top of the seventh. Freshman Gabby Banda reached on a one-out single - the first of her career - before junior Julie Brechtel doubled. Guile then picked up an RBI with a ground out that scored Banda, before Mackin grounded out to end the game.

In addition to scoring last, Nebraska also scored first on Thursday. Banda was hit by a pitch to lead off the game, stole second base and was joined on the basepaths when Guile coaxed a one-out walk. Then with two outs, Foland grounded a 2-0 pitch through the left side for an RBI single that scored Guile to give Nebraska its only lead of the game.

Nebraska will look for its first win of the season in game two of the doubleheader.

Box Score 2010 Nebraska Softball Nebraska at New Mexico State (Game 1) Feb 11, 2010 at Las Cruces, N.M. (NMSU Softball Cmplx)

Nebraska 2 (0-1)

Player AB R H RBI BB SO PO A LOB ------------------------------------------------------ Banda, Gabby 3b.......... 3 1 1 0 0 1 0 2 0 Brechtel, Julie 2b....... 4 0 1 0 0 2 2 0 0 Guile, Ashley c.......... 2 1 1 1 2 0 9 0 0 Drake, Madison pr....... 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Mackin, Robin p.......... 4 0 1 0 0 1 0 2 2 Foland, Heidi 1b......... 2 0 2 1 0 0 5 1 0 Barrett, Whitney ss...... 3 0 1 0 0 2 0 2 2 Hupp, Alex lf............ 3 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 Tyson, Tori rf........... 2 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 3 Haget, Nikki cf.......... 2 0 0 0 0 2 1 0 0 Wright, Kirby ph........ 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Hagemann, Ashley dp...... 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Totals................... 26 2 7 2 3 9 18 7 8

New Mexico State 4 (1-0)

Player AB R H RBI BB SO PO A LOB ------------------------------------------------------ Randall, Kylie ss........ 3 0 0 0 0 1 1 3 0 Jones, Kandis lf......... 4 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 3 Jennings, Tiare cf....... 3 1 1 1 0 1 1 0 0 Ortega, Angie rf......... 2 1 1 2 0 1 0 0 0 Nohara, Hoku 1b.......... 1 0 0 0 2 0 6 0 0 Kaaihue, Tehani pr...... 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Clifton, Brittany c...... 3 0 1 0 0 2 10 1 0 Maroda, Ashley 3b........ 3 0 0 0 0 1 3 2 1 Autry, Tiffany dp........ 1 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 Olive, Amber pr/dp...... 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 Valles, Vanessa 2b....... 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 Schroeder, Torrey p...... 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 Schueler, Kelsey p...... 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Totals................... 23 4 4 4 3 7 21 9 7

Score by Innings R H E ----------------------------------------- Nebraska............ 100 000 1 - 2 7 3 New Mexico State.... 000 220 X - 4 4 0 -----------------------------------------

E - Banda(1); Barrett(1); Haget(1). DP - Aggies 1. LOB - Huskers 8; Aggies 7. 2B - Brechtel(1); Guile(1). HR - Ortega(1). HBP - Banda; Foland; Randall; Ortega; Valles. SB - Banda(1); Jennings(1); Ortega(1). CS - Foland(1); Barrett(1).

Nebraska IP H R ER BB SO AB BF NP -------------------------------------------------- Mackin, Robin....... 6.0 4 4 3 3 7 23 29 139

New Mexico State IP H R ER BB SO AB BF NP -------------------------------------------------- Schroeder, Torrey... 5.0 5 1 1 3 8 18 22 102 Schueler, Kelsey.... 2.0 2 1 1 0 1 8 9 32

Win - Schroeder (1-0). Loss - Mackin (0-1). Save - Schueler (1). HBP - by Schroeder (Banda); by Mackin (Valles); by Mackin (Randall); by Mackin (Ortega); by Schueler (Foland). Pitches/strikes: Mackin 139/93; Schroeder 102/56; Schueler 32/21. Umpires - Start: 4:59 pm Time: 2:38 Attendance: Schroeder faced 2 batters in the 6th. Game: NU1new comput