NU Completes Sweep with 16-0 Rout

El Paso, Texas - Freshman Tatum Edwards was the winning pitcher, scored four times and produced four RBIs, as the 14th-ranked Nebraska softball team complete a doubleheader sweep of the UTEP Miners with a 16-0, five-inning victory in game two on Tuesday.

Tatum Edwards threw 4.0 scoreless innings, allowing only four hits to improve to 5-0 on the season. While she was impressive in the circle, her work with the bat was even better. Edwards finished 3-for-3 at the plate with a double, a homer, four runs scored and four RBIs. Her three hits and four RBIs were both career highs, while her four runs scored tied the school record.

Tatum Edwards was one of five Huskers to finish with at least two hits in the game, as Nebraska produced 15 hits. The Huskers also scored 16 runs for the second time in four games and for only the fifth time in school history.

The Huskers scored five runs in the third inning, six more in the fourth and then hit three home runs in the fifth. In addition to Tatum Edwards' big game, senior Heidi Foland went 2-for-4 with a double, a homer and three RBIs. Junior Ashley Guile went 2-for-2 with a home run, two runs scored and two RBIs, while senior Julie Brechtel produced three RBIs.

The Huskers opened the scoring with two runs in the top of the second on just one hit. After the first two batters were retired, Tatum Edwards was hit by a pitch. Guile then walked to put runners at first and second. On a 1-1 pitch to sophomore Gabby Banda, UTEP catcher Kayleigh Walts threw behind Edwards at second. Edwards took off for third and made it safely and the ball got past second baseman Kayla Oranger, allowing Edwards to score and Guile to move up to second. Banda then delivered an RBI single on a 3-2 pitch to score Guile and give Nebraska a 2-0 lead.

Nebraska added five more runs in the top of the third. The first three batters in the inning reach when junior Nikki Haget singled, freshman Taylor Edwards reached on a fielder's choice where no out was recorded and sophomore Brooke Thomason reached on an error on a sacrifice slap. That brought Brechtel to the plate, who lined an 0-1 pitch to the gap in right center for a bases-clearing, three-run double that pushed the Husker lead to 5-0.

Brechtel then stole third and scored on an RBI single from Tatum Edwards. Guile followed with a single to put runners at first and third with one out and force a UTEP pitching change. Leading 6-0, Joanna Krienitz came on and got Banda to ground out to short, but Tatum Edwards scored on the play to make it a seven-run lead.

The Huskers kept the offense rolling in the fourth. Taylor Edwards reached on a one-out double, before Thomason singled and Brechtel walked to load the bases. Foland then made it 9-0 when she doubled to left field. Tatum Edwards followed with another two-run double to stretch the lead to 11, before Guile launched her first home run of the year, a two-run shot to right that made it 13-0.

Thomason then led off the top of the fifth with a long home run over the scoreboard in right center. Two batters later, Foland lined a pitch over the fence in center for a solo home run that stretched the lead to 15-0. Tatum Edwards followed with another homer to give Nebraska 16 runs scored for the second time in four games.

That closed out the scoring, before junior right-hander Haley Workman came on and retired three of the five batters she faced in the bottom of the fifth to close out the victory, as the Huskers improved to 26-3 on the season.

Megan Atchison (3-5) took the loss for UTEP (15-15). Atchison allowed seven runs (four earned) on five hits in 2.1 innings.

Nebraska wraps up its eight-game road trip - the longest in school history - this weekend with a pair of games at No. 7 Oklahoma.

Box Score 2011 Nebraska Softball #14 Nebraska at UTEP (Game 2) Mar 22, 2011 at El Paso, Texas (Helen of Troy Field)

Nebraska 16 (26-3)

Player AB R H RBI BB SO PO A LOB ------------------------------------------------------ Haget, Nikki cf.......... 4 1 1 0 1 1 0 0 2 Edwards, Taylor c........ 4 2 1 0 0 1 7 0 2 Wright, Kirby c......... 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 Thomason, Brooke rf...... 3 3 2 1 0 1 0 0 0 Brechtel, Julie 2b....... 3 2 1 3 1 0 0 1 0 Foland, Heidi 3b......... 4 2 2 3 0 0 1 0 0 Edwards, Tatum p/dp...... 3 4 3 4 0 0 0 1 0 Guile, Ashley 1b......... 2 2 2 2 1 0 3 0 0 McCann, Morgan ph....... 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Banda, Gabby ss.......... 3 0 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 Wright, Saige ph........ 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 Drake, Madison lf........ 4 0 2 0 0 0 3 0 2 Workman, Haley dp/p...... 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Totals................... 31 16 15 15 4 3 15 2 6

UTEP 0 (15-15)

Player AB R H RBI BB SO PO A LOB ------------------------------------------------------ Walts, Kayleigh c/dp..... 3 0 1 0 0 0 1 1 0 Troupe, Chelsea ss/dp.... 3 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 Black, Kayla 3b.......... 1 0 0 0 2 1 0 2 0 Smith, Becky cf.......... 3 0 2 0 0 1 1 0 0 Ramos, Laura 1b/p........ 2 0 0 0 0 2 7 0 4 Frye, Kelynn 1b......... 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 Moore, Kia rf............ 2 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 Ware, Courtney lf........ 2 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 Oranger, Kayla 2b........ 2 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 Herrera, Camille dp/ss... 2 0 0 0 0 1 2 2 2 Atchison, Megan p........ 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 Krienitz, Joanna p...... 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 Totals................... 21 0 5 0 2 7 15 7 8

Score by Innings R H E -------------------------------------- Nebraska............ 025 63 - 16 15 2 UTEP................ 000 00 - 0 5 2 --------------------------------------

E - Foland(4); Banda(9); Oranger; Herrera. LOB - Huskers 6; Miners 8. 2B - Edwards, Tay(7); Brechtel(6); Foland(5); Edwards, Tat(5). HR - Thomason(2); Foland(4); Edwards, Tat(8); Guile(1). HBP - Edwards, Tat. SH - Thomason(3). SB - Brechtel(2); Edwards, Tat(3).

Nebraska IP H R ER BB SO AB BF NP -------------------------------------------------- Edwards, Tatum...... 4.0 4 0 0 1 6 17 18 68 Workman, Haley...... 1.0 1 0 0 1 1 4 5 24

UTEP IP H R ER BB SO AB BF NP -------------------------------------------------- Atchison, Megan..... 2.1 5 7 4 1 1 13 16 61 Krienitz, Joanna.... 1.2 6 6 6 2 1 11 13 51 Ramos, Laura........ 1.0 4 3 3 1 1 7 8 26

Win - Edwards, Tat (5-0). Loss - Atchison (3-5). Save - None. WP - Edwards, Tat(4). HBP - by Atchison (Edwards, Tat). PB - Edwards, Tay(5); Troupe. Pitches/strikes: Edwards, Tat 68/47; Workman 24/15; Atchison 61/37; Krienitz 51/24; Ramos 26/14. Umpires - Start: 4:24 pm Time: 2:05 Attendance: Game: NU29