Nebraska Closes Tournament With 6-1 Win

Cathedral City, Calif. - The 18th-ranked Nebraska softball team completed a 4-1 weekend at the Cathedral City Classic with a 6-1 victory over Long Island Sunday, in a game shortened to six innings due to the Huskers' travel schedule.

The win improved Nebraska's record to 14-2, as the Huskers continued to match the best start in school history. Junior right-hander Ashley Hagemann earned the win to improve to 11-1 on the season. In 4.0 innings, Hagemann allowed one run on only two hits. She worked around five walks with the help of eight strikeouts. Freshman right-hander Tatum Edwards pitched the final 2.0 innings, allowing only one hit without allowing a run.

Offensively, senior Julie Brechtel went 3-for-3 with a pair of runs scored and an RBI to pace the Huskers' 11-hit attack. Juniors Nikki Haget (2-for-4) and Ashley Guile (2-for-3) also had multi-hit games for the Huskers.

Megan Sheaf (1-5) took the loss for Long Island (3-10), allowing six runs (four earned) on 10 hits in 3.2 innings.

Despite the loss, Long Island held an early 1-0 lead. After Nebraska stranded a pair of runners in scoring position in the bottom of the first, Hagemann pitched into trouble in the top of the second. After walking the first two batters, Hagemann then mishandled a sacrifice bunt to leave the bases loaded with no outs. A check-swing, RBI single from Lindsay Walker gave Long Island a 1-0 lead before Hagemann struck out the next three batters to prevent any further damage.

The Huskers tied the game with a two-out rally in the bottom of the third. Brechtel reached on a one-out bloop double before sophomore Brooke Thomason delivered a two-out, RBI single through the right side to make it 1-1. Senior Heidi Foland followed with another single to put runners at first and second, before Guile lined a 1-2 pitch into right field for an RBI single to give Nebraska the lead.

Freshman Tatum Edwards then lined a double to the gap in left center to score Foland and push the Husker lead to 3-1.

The Huskers scored twice more in the fourth. Haget reached on a one-out infield single and promptly stole second. Brechtel then came through with an RBI single up the middle to score Haget. Then with two outs, Brechtel scored on a throwing error by the catcher, who threw behind Brechtel when Thomason stole second base. Thomason advanced to third on the errant throw and scored two batters later on an illegal pitch to give Nebraska a 6-1 lead.

Nebraska is off next weekend before returning to action at the Under Armour Showcase in Clearwater, Fla., March 11-13.