Homers Rally Huskers Past Aggies

Lincoln - The Nebraska softball team hit three home runs in a six-run sixth inning to rally for an 8-3 victory over 18th-ranked Texas A&M and salvage a doubleheader split at Bowlin Stadium on Saturday.

The Huskers turned the tables on Texas A&M in game two after the Aggies scored five times in the sixth inning of game one to rally for a 6-3 win. In the nightcap, the Huskers trailed 3-2 in the sixth before freshman Brooke Thomason tied the game with a one-out solo homer. After freshman Gabby Banda doubled, senior Alex Hupp then put the Huskers on top with a two-run homer to left center.

Junior Tori Tyson followed with a single and two batters later, classmate Heidi Foland belted a 3-2 pitch to left for another two-run homer. Sophomore Ashley Guile then capped the six-run inning with an RBI double that scored classmate Nikki Haget, who had reached on an infield single following Foland's home run.

The comeback made a winner of sophomore right-hander Ashley Hagemann (10-8), who pitched a complete game. Hagemann was charged with three earned runs on only five hits, while striking out seven and walking two. One of the runs she allowed was a wind-aided home run, while the Aggies' other two runs came in an inning when they had only one ball leave the infield.

The win was Nebraska's first Big 12 Conference victory of the season, as the Huskers improved to 21-17 overall and 1-3 in league play. Texas A&M fell to 30-9 and 3-2 in conference action. Game one winner Rebecca Arbino (16-6) took the loss, allowing five runs on seven hits in 5.1 innings.

Offensively for the Huskers, three players produced multi-hit games and three had multi-RBI performances. Tyson went 2-for-3 for the first multi-hit game of her career, while junior Julie Brechtel went 2-for-4 with two RBIs. Foland and Hupp also drove in two, while Guile had two hits to go along with her one RBI.

Just as they did in game one, the Huskers jumped out to an early lead in game two. Sophomore Nikki Haget was hit by a one-out pitch and was at third with two outs, when Brechtel reached on an RBI infield single. Brechtel advanced all the way to third on a pair of two outs, but she was stranded there.

Hagemann then ran into some bad luck in the top of the third. The leadoff batter hit a towering pop up on the infield, that Brechtel was unable to find as it fell to the ground for a single. The next batter laid down a bunt and Banda elected to go to second after an initial bobble, but her throw was well late. With runners on first and second with no outs, Hagemann recorded an out before a grounder found its way up the middle for a game-tying RBI single.

With the game tied 1-1, the Huskers elected to intentionally walk Meagan May - the Big 12's leading home run hitter and RBI producer - to load the bases with one out. Hagemann then retired the next batter before a bases-loaded walk gave Texas A&M a 2-1 lead. She then escaped further damage with an inning-ending foul out.

Nebraska fought back to tie the game in the bottom of the frame. After the first two batters were retired on two pitches, Guile lined the next pitch down the right field for a two-out double. Brechtel then tied the game with an RBI double off the wall in center.

The Aggies regained the lead in the fifth, when May got a ball into the wind that carried out over the right center field fence for a two-out, solo home run.

That set the stage for the Huskers' rally in the bottom of the sixth, when Thomason, Hupp and Foland all homered.

After six home games in five days this week, Nebraska begins a six-game road trip on Wednesday, when the Huskers travel to Omaha to face Creighton.

2010 Nebraska Softball #18 Texas A&M at Nebraska (Game 2) Apr 03, 2010 at Lincoln, Neb. (Bowlin Stadium)

Texas A&M 3 (30-9,3-2 Big 12)

Player AB R H RBI BB SO PO A LOB ------------------------------------------------------ Schwirtlich, Lauren dp/2b 4 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 Spittler, Kelsey lf...... 3 0 1 1 0 2 1 0 0 May, Meagan c............ 2 1 1 1 1 0 3 0 0 Kliesing, Rhiannon 1b.... 3 0 1 0 0 1 11 0 0 Reynolds, Alex 3b........ 2 0 0 1 1 0 0 4 0 Morrow, Macie ss......... 3 0 0 0 0 0 2 4 3 Dumezich, Melissa 2b/p... 3 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 Schroeder, Bailey rf..... 2 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 Shannon, Sydney ph...... 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 Orsak, Kelsea cf......... 1 1 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 Rau, Kara ph............ 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 Arbino, Rebecca p/dp..... 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 Totals................... 25 3 5 3 2 7 18 11 4

Nebraska 8 (21-17,1-3 Big 12)

Player AB R H RBI BB SO PO A LOB ------------------------------------------------------ Foland, Heidi 1b......... 4 1 1 2 0 0 4 1 0 Haget, Nikki lf.......... 3 2 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 Guile, Ashley c.......... 4 1 2 1 0 0 8 0 0 Gay, Jamie pr........... 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Brechtel, Julie 2b....... 4 0 2 2 0 1 1 1 1 Thomason, Brooke rf...... 3 1 1 1 0 0 1 0 2 Banda, Gabby 3b.......... 3 1 1 0 0 1 3 2 0 Hupp, Alex dp............ 3 1 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 Tyson, Tori cf........... 3 1 2 0 0 0 2 0 0 Barrett, Whitney ss...... 3 0 0 0 0 1 1 1 2 Hagemann, Ashley p....... 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Totals................... 30 8 11 8 0 3 21 5 5

Score by Innings R H E ----------------------------------------- Texas A&M........... 002 010 0 - 3 5 3 Nebraska............ 101 006 X - 8 11 1 -----------------------------------------

E - May(4); Morrow(7); Dumezich(6); Guile(4). LOB - Aggies 4; Huskers 5. 2B - Kliesing(8); Guile 2(12); Brechtel(4); Banda(6). HR - May(17); Foland(11); Thomason(6); Hupp(1). HBP - Haget. SH - Orsak(4).

Texas A&M IP H R ER BB SO AB BF NP -------------------------------------------------- Arbino, Rebecca..... 5.1 7 5 5 0 2 24 25 75 Dumezich, Melissa... 0.2 4 3 3 0 1 6 6 23

Nebraska IP H R ER BB SO AB BF NP -------------------------------------------------- Hagemann, Ashley.... 7.0 5 3 3 2 7 25 28 105

Win - Hagemann (10-8). Loss - Arbino (16-6). Save - None. WP - Arbino(8). HBP - by Arbino (Haget). Pitches/strikes: Arbino 75/51; Dumezich 23/15; Hagemann 105/65. Umpires - HP: Renee Williams 1B: Matt Titkemeier 3B: Scott Mair Start: 4:55 pm Time: 2:02 Attendance: 655 Game: NU38