Huskers Pound Out 18 Hits in 7-5 Win

Las Cruces, N.M. - The 14th-ranked Nebraska softball team pounded out 18 hits, its highest total in more than 10 seasons, and the Huskers' needed every one of those hits to hold on for a 7-5 victory over New Mexico State in the first game of a Saturday doubleheader in Las Cruces, N.M.

Nebraska's 18 hits were its most since at least 2001, but the Huskers also stranded 12 runners. NU fell behind 1-0 after two innings, then scored seven straight runs to take a 7-1 lead. New Mexico State rallied for a four-run fifth inning and then brought the winning run to the plate in the bottom of the seventh, but the Huskers held on for the victory. NU out-hit the Aggies, 18-7.

Eight Huskers had a hit in the win, including six players with multi-hit efforts. Sophomore Brooke Thomason led the way with a 4-for-5 day that included two RBIs. The four hits were a career high for Thomason, while freshman Taylor Edwards also set a career high in hits with a 3-for-3 day that included a walk and two RBIs. Junior Nikki Haget was 3-for-5 and scored three times while extending her hitting streak to a career-high 10 games.

Seniors Julie Brechtel and Heidi Foland, along with sophomore Gabby Banda, each finished with two hits. Brechtel added her second home run of the season, while Foland and Banda each delivered a double.

The offensive explosion made a winner out of junior right-hander Ashley Hagemann, who improved to 16-2 on the year. In a complete-game effort, Hagemann allowed five runs on seven hits.

New Mexico State used four pitchers in the loss. Kelsey Schueler (2-2) suffered the loss, allowing three runs on four hits in 2.0 innings. The Aggies fell to 19-8 on the season with the defeat, while also suffering their first home loss to a team ranked outside of the top 10.

Nebraska had a scoring chance in the top of the first inning but came up empty. A one-out walk to Taylor Edwards was followed by a single by Thomason to put runners at first and third with only one out. After failing to get a runner home from third base with less than two outs twice on Friday, the Huskers suffered a similar fate on Saturday, as a fly ball and a ground out ended the threat.

The Huskers then ran into an out to squash another scoring threat in the second. Junior Ashley Guile singled up the middle with one out before Banda lined a double to the gap in right center. On the play, Guile tried to score but the ball beat easily beat her to the plate and she was eventually tagged out in a rundown. A ground out then left Banda stranded at second.

New Mexico State then created its own scoring chance in the bottom of the second when Teresa Conrad blasted an 0-1 pitch to left center for a one-out, solo home run.

Nebraska answered back in the top of the third. Haget began the inning with a single to extend her hitting streak and was followed by singles from Taylor Edwards and Thomason. With the bases loaded and no outs, Schueler entered the game to pitch for the Aggies and quickly recorded a pop out. Brechtel then hit a ground ball to short and New Mexico State threw home for the force out, but catcher Alyssa Ruiz dropped the ball, allowing Haget to score the tying run.

The Huskers still had the bases loaded with only one out, but a strikeout and a ground out kep the game tied at 1-1.

Nebraska finally came through and scored a runner from third to take a 2-1 lead in the top of the fourth. Banda led off with a single and stole second. She moved to third on a single and scored on a sacrifice fly from Taylor Edwards. With two outs, Haget stole second and then scored on an RBI single from Thomason to give Nebraska a 3-1 advantage.

Brechtel then gave the Huskers a 4-1 lead when she led off the fifth inning with her second home run of the season, an opposite-field blast. Foland followed with a double and after a pair of hard-hit outs, Foland scored on a clutch two-out, pinch-hit, RBI single from junior Madison Drake. That ignited a two-out rally, as Taylor Edwards and Thomason also added RBI singles to cap a four-run inning that saw Nebraska take a 7-1 lead.

The powerful Aggie offense answered back in the bottom of the fourth. The first two batters reached on back-to-back singles. Kandis Jones then hit a chopper back up the middle that just eluded Hagemann and bounced into center field for an RBI single. On the play, Haget tried to throw a runner out at third and threw high, allowing a second run to score to cut the lead to 7-3. Hoku Nohara then made it a two-run game with a towering two-run homer to left center two batters later

The first two Huskers then reached in the top of the sixth but Nebraska was unable to tack on any insurance runs.

Nebraska stranded its 12th runner of the game in the top of the seventh, before Hagemann faced the 1-2-3 hitters in the Aggie lineup in the bottom of the frame. Hagemann retired the first two batters before issuing a five-pitch walk to Tiare Jennings that brought Nohara to the plate representing the tying run. Nebraska elected to intentionally walk Nohara and the strategy paid off, as Hagemann got Ashley Maroda to fly out to left to end the game.

Nebraska (22-3) will look for the sweep in game two on Saturday afternoon. 

Box Score 2011 Nebraska Softball #14 Nebraska at New Mexico State (Game 1) Mar 19, 2011 at Las Cruces, N.M. (NMSU Softball Cmplx)

Nebraska 7 (22-3)

Player AB R H RBI BB SO PO A LOB ------------------------------------------------------ Haget, Nikki cf.......... 5 3 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 Edwards, Taylor c/dp..... 3 0 3 2 1 0 3 0 0 Wright, Kirby c......... 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 2 Thomason, Brooke rf...... 5 0 4 2 0 0 1 0 0 Edwards, Tatum dp/lf..... 5 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 4 Brechtel, Julie 2b....... 4 1 2 1 0 0 1 1 2 Foland, Heidi 3b......... 4 1 2 0 0 2 3 4 0 Guile, Ashley 1b......... 4 0 1 0 0 0 8 0 3 McCann, Morgan pr....... 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Banda, Gabby ss.......... 4 1 2 0 0 1 2 1 0 Southworth, Megan lf..... 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 Drake, Madison ph....... 1 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 Hagemann, Ashley p....... 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Totals................... 38 7 18 6 1 3 21 6 12

New Mexico State 5 (19-8)

Player AB R H RBI BB SO PO A LOB ------------------------------------------------------ Olive, Amber rf.......... 4 1 1 0 0 1 1 0 1 Jones, Kandis cf......... 4 1 1 2 0 0 2 1 0 Jennings, Tiare lf....... 3 0 1 0 1 1 1 0 0 Nohara, Hoku 1b.......... 2 1 1 2 2 0 6 0 0 Kaaihue, Tehani pr...... 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Maroda, Ashley 3b........ 4 0 1 0 0 0 3 2 4 Valles, Vanessa dp....... 2 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 Javillo, Shaleese pr.... 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Conrad, Teresa ss........ 3 1 1 1 0 1 2 3 0 Ruiz, Alyssa c........... 2 0 0 0 0 1 3 1 1 Clifton, Brittany c..... 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 Randall, Kylie 2b........ 2 1 1 0 1 0 2 1 0 Theis, Carissa p......... 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Schueler, Kelsey p...... 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Villalobos, Alex p...... 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Newman, Alex p.......... 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 Totals................... 27 5 7 5 5 4 21 9 6

Score by Innings R H E ----------------------------------------- Nebraska............ 001 240 0 - 7 18 1 New Mexico State.... 010 040 0 - 5 7 1 -----------------------------------------

E - Haget(1); Ruiz(1). DP - Huskers 1. LOB - Huskers 12; Aggies 6. 2B - Foland(3); Banda(5); Jennings(4). HR - Brechtel(2); Nohara(17); Conrad(5). SF - Edwards, Tay(1). SB - Haget(12); Banda(3).

Nebraska IP H R ER BB SO AB BF NP -------------------------------------------------- Hagemann, Ashley.... 7.0 7 5 5 5 4 27 32 136

New Mexico State IP H R ER BB SO AB BF NP -------------------------------------------------- Theis, Carissa...... 2.0 6 1 0 1 1 11 12 43 Schueler, Kelsey.... 2.0 4 3 3 0 1 10 11 38 Villalobos, Alex.... 1.0 5 3 3 0 0 8 8 27 Newman, Alex........ 2.0 3 0 0 0 1 9 9 35

Win - Hagemann (16-2). Loss - Schueler (2-2). Save - None. Pitches/strikes: Hagemann 136/84; Theis 43/28; Schueler 38/22; Villalobos 27/17; Newman 35/26. Umpires - HP: John Baca 1B: Gary Mitchell 3B: James Sparks Start: 12:57 pm Time: 2:36 Attendance: Theis faced 3 batters in the 3rd. Schueler faced 1 batter in the 5th. Game: NU25