Huskers Shut Out Jayhawks, 2-0

Lawrence, Kan. - The Nebraska softball team won its fourth straight road game on Wednesday, as the Huskers traveled to Lawrence, Kan., and blanked the Kansas Jayhawks, 2-0, at Arrocha Ballpark.

The win was also the Huskers' fifth straight overall and eighth victory in the last nine games. Nebraska improved to 25-17 on the year and moved to 4-3 in Big 12 Conference play with its fourth straight conference victory.

Junior right-hander Robin Mackin (11-9) earned the win, scattering seven hits over five innings of work. She added seven strikeouts and walked two. Sophomore right-hander Ashley Hagemann notched her fourth save of the season and her third over the last week. Hagemann pitched the final 2.0 innings, working around a pair of singles, while striking out four. As a staff, Nebraska has now thrown 18.1 scoreless innings, all in conference play.

Alex Jones (5-6) took the loss, allowing two runs on six hits in 5.0 innings. She struck out one and walked two, while hitting a pair of batters.

Despite only two runs being scored in the game, both teams had plenty of scoring chances. The teams combined to strand 19 runners on base, including 11 by the Jayhawks. Kansas out-hit Nebraska 9-7, although four of the Huskers' seven hits were doubles.

Junior Heidi Foland was 2-for-4 with a double and an RBI, while freshman Brooke Thomason was 2-for-3 with a double. Junior Julie Brechtel also doubled and drove in a run as part of a 1-for-2 day.

Nebraska jumped out to a quick 1-0 lead four batters into the game. Sophomore Nikki Haget reached on a one-out single before sophomore Ashley Guile doubled to put runners at second and third. Brechtel then brought Haget home with a sacrifice fly to center.

Kansas threatened to answer in the bottom of the frame. A pair of ground balls found their way into the outfield to give the Jayhawks runners at first and second with no outs. A sacrifice bunt moved the runners up to second and third before a ground out marked the second out of the inning. A walk then loaded the bases before Mackin struck Allie Clark out looking.

The Huskers added to their lead in the third. Senior Whitney Barrett was hit by a pitch to begin the inning and scored one batter later when Foland doubled into the left field corner. With no outs, Foland then moved up to third on a wild pitch, but was still there with two outs. Brechtel was then hit by a two-out pitch to put runners at first and third before Foland was caught in a rundown and tagged out after Brechtel attempted to steal second.

After Nebraska stranded a pair of one-out base runners in the top of the fourth, the Jayhawks got a one-out double in the bottom of the frame. The next batter hit a grounder off the glove of Mackin for an infield single. But on the play, the runner at second attempted to score but Brechtel alertly got to the ball quickly and made an off-balance throw to home, where Guile tagged the runner out just before she slid into home plate.

The Huskers then got back-to-back doubles to lead off the top of the sixth but again could not score. Brechtel began the inning with a double to right before Thomason hit a high fly ball to the gap in left center. The wind carried it over the left fielder's head for a double, but Brechtel, who had to wait until the ball hit the ground, was only able to advance to third. Clark then relieved Jones and coaxed a shallow fly out to right, a ground ball back to the circle and a ground out to second to keep it a two-run Husker lead.

NU had one final chance to add some insurance runs in the top of the seventh. A one-out single from Foland, a two-out walk to Guile and a wild pitch put Huskers on second and third with two outs, before a fly out to center ended the inning.

Hagemann then worked around a one-out single in the bottom of the seventh to preserve the shutout.

Nebraska wraps up its five-game road trip tomorrow with a 4 p.m. contest at Iowa State.

Box Score 2010 Nebraska Softball Nebraska at Kansas Apr 14, 2010 at Lawrence, Kan. (Arrocha Ballpark)

Nebraska 2 (25-17,4-3 Big 12)

Player AB R H RBI BB SO PO A LOB ------------------------------------------------------ Foland, Heidi 1b......... 4 0 2 1 0 1 7 1 0 Haget, Nikki lf.......... 4 1 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 Guile, Ashley c.......... 3 0 1 0 1 0 11 0 0 Drake, Madison pr....... 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Brechtel, Julie 2b....... 2 0 1 1 0 0 1 3 2 Thomason, Brooke rf...... 3 0 2 0 0 0 1 0 1 Mackin, Robin p.......... 3 0 0 0 0 0 1 2 0 Hagemann, Ashley p...... 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Banda, Gabby 3b.......... 1 0 0 0 2 0 0 2 0 Hupp, Alex dp............ 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 Barrett, Whitney ss...... 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 2 Tyson, Tori cf........... 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Totals................... 25 2 7 2 3 2 21 9 8

Kansas 0 (17-23,1-8 Big 12)

Player AB R H RBI BB SO PO A LOB ------------------------------------------------------ Jones, Alex p/cf......... 4 0 2 0 0 1 2 1 1 Hull, R. rf.............. 4 0 1 0 0 1 2 0 4 Montgomery, Mariah ss.... 2 0 1 0 1 1 1 2 0 Irwin, Alicia pr........ 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Hile, Brittany c......... 4 0 0 0 0 2 3 2 0 Jobe, Amanda 1b.......... 3 0 1 0 1 0 6 0 1 Clark, Allie dp/p........ 3 0 0 0 0 2 0 1 5 Ingle, Marissa 3b........ 3 0 0 0 0 2 1 1 0 Ramirez, Sara 2b......... 3 0 1 0 0 2 0 2 0 Hull, M. cf/lf........... 3 0 3 0 0 0 4 0 0 Jenkins, Julie lf........ 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 Totals................... 29 0 9 0 2 11 21 9 11

Score by Innings R H E ----------------------------------------- Nebraska............ 101 000 0 - 2 7 0 Kansas.............. 000 000 0 - 0 9 0 -----------------------------------------

LOB - Huskers 8; Jayhawks 11. 2B - Foland(8); Guile(13); Brechtel(7); Thomason(10); Ramirez. HBP - Brechtel; Barrett. SH - Montgomery. SF - Brechtel(2). SB - Hull, M.. CS - Banda(1).

Nebraska IP H R ER BB SO AB BF NP -------------------------------------------------- Mackin, Robin....... 5.0 7 0 0 2 7 21 24 97 Hagemann, Ashley.... 2.0 2 0 0 0 4 8 8 37

Kansas IP H R ER BB SO AB BF NP -------------------------------------------------- Jones, Alex......... 5.0 6 2 2 2 1 18 23 81 Clark, Allie........ 2.0 1 0 0 1 1 7 8 29

Win - Mackin (11-9). Loss - Jones (5-6). Save - Hagemann (4). WP - Jones; Clark. HBP - by Jones (Barrett); by Jones (Brechtel). PB - Guile(4). Pitches/strikes: Mackin 97/63; Hagemann 37/25; Jones 81/44; Clark 29/18. Umpires - HP: Robert Blatcher 1B: Todd Delph 3B: John Orlowski Start: Time: 2:18 Attendance: 596 Jones faced 2 batters in the 6th. Game: NU42