Huskers Swept by No. 13 Sooners

Lincoln - The Nebraska softball team was shut out for the second straight time on Sunday, as 13th-ranked Oklahoma completed a two-game sweep of the Huskers with an 8-0 six-inning win on a windy and cloudy day at Bowlin Stadium.

Nebraska had plenty of chances to avoid the shutout, as the Huskers drew four walks and had five hits. But NU was just 2-for-16 with runners on base and the Huskers stranded 10 runners on base. Oklahoma pounded out 10 hits and stranded 10.

Sophomore right-hander Ashley Hagemann (12-10) took the loss for Nebraska, which fell to 27-22 on the season and dropped to 6-8 in Big 12 play. In a complete-game effort, Hagemann allowed eight runs (six earned) on 10 hits, striking out a pair and walking six.

Offensively, sophomore Nikki Haget went 2-for-3 to extend her hitting streak to nine games. Classmate Ashley Guile added her 15th double of the season - the msot ever by a Husker sophomore - while junior Julie Brechtel went 1-for-3. Sophomore Kirby Wright also walked in all three of her plate appearances.

Michelle Gascoigne earned the win to remain perfect at 6-0 this season. Gascoigne allowed only one hit in 1.2 innings in relief of starter Alle Allen, who worked around four hits and three walks over the first 3.1 innings.

Both pitchers had a knack for the timely strikeout. Allen finished with three strikeouts, including a strikeout to end the second inning with runners on first and second and back-to-back strikeouts to escape a bases-loaded, one-out jam in the third. Gascoigne recorded three strikeouts of her own and she struck out the first two batters she faced with Huskers on first and second and one out in the fourth. Her third strikeout came with a runner on third and two outs in the fifth.

After OU stranded a runner in scoring position in the top of the first, the Sooners scored the game's first runs in the top of the second. An error, a hit batter and a sacrifice bunt put runners on second and third with one out before Katie Norris lined a two-run double down the left field line. A two-out RBI single from Haley Anderson then extended the lead to 3-0.

Nebraska stranded three runners through the first two innings and had a golden chance to cut into the lead in the third. A one-out infield single from Haget was followed by a walk to Guile and a single from  Brechtel. With the bases loaded and one out, the Huskers were unable to take advantage of the opportunity as Allen struck out the next two batters.

Oklahoma then extended its lead in the top of the fourth. Jessica Shults gave the Sooners a 4-0 lead with a one-out RBI single before Lindsey Vandever's successful squeeze bunt pushed Oklahoma's lead to 5-0.

In the bottom of the frame, Wright drew her second walk of the game to begin the inning before a one-out single from freshman pinch-hitter Megan Southworth put Huskers on first and second with one out. Gascoigne then came on in relief and recorded back-to-back strikeouts to end the inning.

The Sooners then added two more runs in the fifth. Hagemann walked two of the first three batters in the inning before Wendy Trott delivered a pinch-hit, RBI single. Anderson then made it 7-0 with a sacrifice fly to center.

In the bottom of the inning, Guile led off with a double. Brechtel was then robbed of a hit and a possible RBI, as Amber Flores made a diving stop at second on a hard-hit ball for the first out. On the play, sophomore pinch-runner Jamie Gay moved up to third, but a ground out and a strikeout kept the shutout intact.

The run-rule then came into effect in the top of the sixth, when a leadoff double led to an RBI single from Chana'e Jones.

Wright drew a leadoff walk in the sixth for Nebraska against new pitcher Kirsten Allen, but she was unable to advance past first.

Nebraska wraps up its eight-game homestand this week, when the Huskers face Northern Iowa on Tuesday and Creighton on Wednesday.

2010 Nebraska Softball #13 Oklahoma at Nebraska Apr 25, 2010 at Lincoln, Neb. (Bowlin Stadium)

Oklahoma 8 (36-10,10-3 Big 12)

Player AB R H RBI BB SO PO A LOB ------------------------------------------------------ Turang, Brianna cf/lf.... 2 0 1 0 0 0 2 0 0 Trott, Wendy ph......... 1 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 Anderson, Haley lf/rf.... 2 1 2 2 0 0 1 0 0 Flores, Amber 2b......... 2 1 0 0 2 0 1 1 2 Shults, Jessica 1b....... 4 0 1 1 0 2 3 0 3 Sallis, Evan pr......... 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Vandever, Lindsey c...... 3 1 0 1 0 0 10 0 0 Nix, Haley rf............ 2 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 Huey, Krystle cf........ 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 Dobbs, Dani 3b........... 1 0 0 0 2 0 1 0 0 Norris, Katie dp......... 3 1 2 2 0 0 0 0 0 Jones, Chana'e pr/dp.... 1 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 Long, Karolyne ss........ 2 1 0 0 2 0 0 0 4 Allen, Allee p........... 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 Gascoigne, Michelle p... 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 Allen, Kirsten p........ 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Totals................... 24 8 10 8 6 2 18 3 10

Nebraska 0 (27-22,6-8 Big 12)

Player AB R H RBI BB SO PO A LOB ------------------------------------------------------ Foland, Heidi 1b......... 4 0 0 0 0 2 4 1 1 Haget, Nikki lf.......... 3 0 2 0 0 1 2 0 2 Guile, Ashley dp......... 2 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 Drake, Madison pr....... 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Gay, Jamie pr........... 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Brechtel, Julie 2b....... 3 0 1 0 0 0 5 1 1 Thomason, Brooke rf...... 3 0 0 0 0 1 2 0 0 Banda, Gabby 3b.......... 3 0 0 0 0 2 1 2 4 Wright, Kirby c.......... 0 0 0 0 3 0 2 0 0 Tyson, Tori cf........... 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 Hupp, Alex ph........... 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 Barrett, Whitney ss...... 2 0 0 0 0 1 1 3 2 Southworth, Megan ph.... 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 Hagemann, Ashley p....... 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 Totals................... 23 0 5 0 4 8 18 9 10

Score by Innings R H E --------------------------------------- Oklahoma............ 030 221 - 8 10 0 Nebraska............ 000 000 - 0 5 2 ---------------------------------------

E - Tyson(2); Barrett(15). LOB - Sooners 10; Huskers 10. 2B - Huey(1); Norris(3); Guile(15). HBP - Nix; Tyson. SH - Turang(3); Anderson(1); Vandever(2); Dobbs(2). SF - Anderson(1). SB - Anderson(2); Sallis(7).

Oklahoma IP H R ER BB SO AB BF NP -------------------------------------------------- Allen, Allee........ 3.1 4 0 0 3 3 14 18 70 Gascoigne, Michelle. 1.2 1 0 0 0 3 6 6 35 Allen, Kirsten...... 1.0 0 0 0 1 2 3 4 20

Nebraska IP H R ER BB SO AB BF NP -------------------------------------------------- Hagemann, Ashley.... 6.0 10 8 6 6 2 24 36 139

Win - Gascoigne (6-0). Loss - Hagemann (12-10). Save - None. HBP - by Hagemann (Nix); by Allen, A. (Tyson). Pitches/strikes: Allen, A. 70/40; Gascoigne 35/22; Allen, K. 20/9; Hagemann 139/80. Umpires - HP: Dani Carson Newman 1B: Tom Topping 3B: Scott Mair Start: 12:05 pm Time: 2:24 Attendance: 300 Game: NU49