Huskers Complete Sweep with 4-3 Win

Lincoln - The Nebraska softball team wrapped up a doubleheader sweep of Wisconsin with a 4-3 victory in game two on Wednesday at Bowlin Stadium.

The Huskers (17-13) never trailed in either game of the doubleheader while pushing their winning streak to four games and moving four games above .500 for the first time all season. Nebraska also won a one-run game for the first time this season, after entering the day 0-6 this season in one-run games.

Senior right-hander Alex Hupp (3-0) earned the win by tossing 3.0 innings of hitless relief, striking out five. Sophomore right-hander Ashley Hagemann earned the start and allowed three runs on only three hits in 4.0 innings of work, walking four and striking out five.

Offensively, sophomore Ashley Guile went 2-for-2 with a double and three RBIs, and she was also hit by a pitch and walked once while reaching base in all four of her plate appearances. Junior Heidi Foland also finished with two hits, as Nebraska out-hit Wisconsin, 8-3.

The Huskers missed a golden opportunity to take an early lead in the bottom of the second. Singles from Guile and freshman Gabby Banda and a walk to freshman Brooke Thomason loaded the bases with no outs, before an infield pop up marked the first out and a line out to the pitcher turned into an inning-ending double play.

NU loaded the bases again with one out in the third. This time, Guile made sure the Huskers would plate a run, as she laced a bases-clearing, three-run double to the gap in right center to give Nebraska a 3-0 lead.

Wisconsin got all three runs back in the top of the fourth. A leadoff bunt single marked the Badgers' first hit and was followed two batters later with another single. With runners on first and second and two outs, Ashley Hanewich lined a ball to deep left that hit the top of the fence and bounced over for a game-tying, three-run homer.

In the bottom of the fifth, Guile was hit by a one-out pitch before Thomason doubled to left center to score freshman pinch-runner Keela Scott and give Nebraska a 4-3 lead. A walk and a hit batter then loaded the bases with one out but the Huskers could not add to the lead, as each of the next two batters got ahead in the count 3-0 before eventually hitting infield pop ups.

Nebraska stranded two more runners in the sixth and left 10 on base in the game. The missed chances would not cost the Huskers however, as Hupp allowed only two walk over the final two innings to secure Nebraska's fourth straight victory. The Badgers had the tying run on base with no outs in the seventh, before Hupp recorded back-to-back strikeouts and a game-ending fly out to left.

After going 4-0 on its opening four-game homestand, the Huskers travel to Austin, Texas, this weekend to open Big 12 Conference play with a two-game series against the 15th-ranked Texas Longhorns on Saturday and Sunday.

Box Score 2010 Nebraska Softball Wisconsin at Nebraska (Game 2) Mar 24, 2010 at Lincoln, Neb. (Bowlin Stadium)

Wisconsin 3 (7-15)

Player AB R H RBI BB SO PO A LOB ------------------------------------------------------ Krueger, Jennifer cf..... 2 0 0 0 2 2 0 0 0 Massey, Whitney 2b....... 4 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 1 Spence, Molly 1b......... 2 0 0 0 1 0 5 0 2 Blackshear, Shannel 3b... 3 0 1 0 0 1 2 2 1 Gregory, Abby pr........ 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Powell, Karla dp......... 3 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 Olivarez, Letty p........ 2 1 1 0 1 0 2 3 0 Hansen, Kristyn pr...... 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Grimm, Kendall lf........ 3 0 0 0 0 3 1 0 1 Hanewich, Ashley rf...... 2 1 1 3 1 0 2 0 0 Soderberg, Katie ss...... 2 0 0 0 1 1 1 0 0 Strange, Maggie c........ 0 0 0 0 0 0 5 0 0 Totals................... 23 3 3 3 6 10 18 5 5

Nebraska 4 (17-13)

Player AB R H RBI BB SO PO A LOB ------------------------------------------------------ Foland, Heidi 1b......... 4 1 2 0 0 1 4 0 0 Haget, Nikki dp/cf....... 3 1 0 0 1 2 0 0 2 Brechtel, Julie 2b....... 4 1 1 0 0 0 4 0 0 Guile, Ashley c.......... 2 0 2 3 1 0 10 1 0 Scott, Keela pr......... 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Thomason, Brooke rf...... 3 0 1 1 1 0 1 0 2 Banda, Gabby 3b.......... 2 0 1 0 1 1 0 1 1 Barrett, Whitney ss...... 2 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 Tyson, Tori lf........... 2 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 2 Wright, Kirby ph........ 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Gonzalez, Crystal cf..... 2 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 Drake, Madison pr....... 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Hupp, Alex p............ 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 Hagemann, Ashley p....... 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 Totals................... 26 4 8 4 4 5 21 4 10

Score by Innings R H E ----------------------------------------- Wisconsin........... 000 300 0 - 3 3 0 Nebraska............ 003 010 X - 4 8 0 -----------------------------------------

DP - Badgers 1; Huskers 1. LOB - Badgers 5; Huskers 10. 2B - Guile(9); Thomason(6). HR - Hanewich(2). HBP - Guile; Barrett. CS - Krueger(3).

Wisconsin IP H R ER BB SO AB BF NP -------------------------------------------------- Olivarez, Letty..... 6.0 8 4 4 4 5 26 32 113

Nebraska IP H R ER BB SO AB BF NP -------------------------------------------------- Hagemann, Ashley.... 4.0 3 3 3 4 5 14 18 95 Hupp, Alex.......... 3.0 0 0 0 2 5 9 11 43

Win - Hupp (3-0). Loss - Olivarez (5-12). Save - None. WP - Olivarez(10); Hagemann(8). HBP - by Olivarez (Guile); by Olivarez (Barrett). PB - Guile(3). Pitches/strikes: Olivarez 113/69; Hagemann 95/56; Hupp 43/29. Umpires - Start: 5:07 pm Time: 2:14 Attendance: 302 Game: NU30