Homers Power Huskers Past Texas Tech

Lincoln - The 14th-ranked Nebraska softball team hit a season-high five home runs to power its way to a 7-0 win over Texas Tech on Saturday afternoon in front of 909 fans at Bowlin Stadium. 

The five home runs were one shy of the school record and marked the first time Nebraska has homered five times in a game in more than 10 years. The power display was in full effect in the bottom of the fifth inning, when the Huskers broke open a 1-0 game with three home runs in the span of five batters. Junior Madison Drake, who entered the game with one career home run, homered twice, while seniors Julie Brechtel and Heidi Foland and freshman Tatum Edwards each added a homer.

Drake finished 2-for-2 with a career-high-tying three RBIs, while Tatum Edwards went 2-for-4 with a pair of RBIs. Junior Nikki Haget also added two hits for the Huskers, while Brechtel homered in her only official at bat while also walking and being hit by a pitch.

Behind the home run barrage, Nebraska picked up its third straight win and improved to 35-9 on the season and 5-6 in Big 12 Conference play.

In the circle, junior right-hander Ashley Hagemann became the first pitcher to shut out the high-powered Texas Tech offense this season. Hagemann held the nation's top hitting team to six hits while improving to 25-8 on the season. In becoming only the sixth Husker pitcher to win 25 games in a season, Hagemann struck out nine and walked only two.

Kelsey Dennis (12-4) took the loss for Texas Tech. She allowed five runs on five hits in 5.0 innings, as one of three Red Raider pitchers to see action. With the loss, Texas Tech fell to 39-12 on the season and 4-11 in conference action.

Nebraska opened the scoring in the bottom of the second when Foland blasted the ninth pitch of her at bat over the wall in right for a solo home run.

Texas Tech nearly tied the game in the top of the third. With two outs, a single and a walk put runners on first and second. Mikey Kenney then hit a flare on the infield that caromed off the glove of a diving Ashley Guile at first base and rolled just behind the circle. Logan Hall attempted to score from second on the deflection, but Husker shortstop Gabby Banda quickly retrieved the ball and fired home to Taylor Edwards, who tagged out Hall to end the inning.

Neither team threatened again until Drake went the opposite way with a 2-2 pitch for a solo home run to lead off the bottom of the fifth inning. Junior Nikki Haget then singled before Tatum Edwards greeted new pitcher Ashley Brokeshoulder with a two-run homer to center that gave Nebraska a 4-0 lead. Brechtel then blasted a 3-1 pitch to right for a solo home run two batters later.

Texas Tech then stranded a pair of runners in the top of the sixth before the Huskers added two insurance runs in the bottom of the frame. Banda was hit by a pitch with one out before Drake hit a towering two-run homer to center for her second roundtripper of the game.

Nebraska and Texas Tech wrap up their two-game series on Sunday.

Box Score 2011 Nebraska Softball
Texas Tech at #14 Nebraska
Apr 30, 2011 at Lincoln, Neb. (Bowlin Stadium)

Texas Tech 0 (39-12,4-11 Big 12)

Player AB R H RBI BB SO PO A LOB
------------------------------------------------------
Bledsoe, Emily 3b........ 3 0 1 0 0 1 3 4 0
Hall, Logan 2b........... 3 0 1 0 0 0 4 3 0
James, Sandy 1b.......... 1 0 0 0 2 1 7 1 0
Clemmons, McKenzie pr... 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Kenney, Mikey cf......... 3 0 2 0 0 1 0 0 1
Gentsch, Holley c........ 3 0 0 0 0 2 1 1 0
Allen, Cydney dp......... 3 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 2
Hamada, Ashley rf........ 3 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0
Richardson, Raven ss..... 3 0 1 0 0 2 1 0 1
Drewry, Stephanie lf..... 3 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0
Dennis, Kelsey p......... 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Brokeshoulder, A. p..... 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0
Merlich, Karli p........ 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Totals................... 25 0 6 0 2 9 18 10 6

Nebraska 7 (35-9,5-6 Big 12)

Player AB R H RBI BB SO PO A LOB
------------------------------------------------------
Haget, Nikki cf.......... 4 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 1
Edwards, Tatum dp........ 4 1 2 2 0 0 0 0 0
Edwards, Taylor c........ 4 0 0 0 0 0 10 1 1
Brechtel, Julie 2b....... 1 1 1 1 1 0 1 0 0
Guile, Ashley 1b......... 3 0 0 0 0 0 4 1 3
Thomason, Brooke rf...... 3 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0
Foland, Heidi 3b......... 3 1 1 1 0 0 1 1 0
Banda, Gabby ss.......... 1 1 0 0 0 1 1 2 0
Drake, Madison lf........ 2 2 2 3 1 0 1 0 0
Hagemann, Ashley p....... 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0
Totals................... 25 7 8 7 2 1 21 6 5

Score by Innings R H E
-----------------------------------------
Texas Tech.......... 000 000 0 - 0 6 0
Nebraska............ 010 042 X - 7 8 1
-----------------------------------------

E - Edwards, Tay(2). LOB - Red Raiders 6; Huskers 5. 2B - Hamada, A.(3). HR
- Edwards, Tat(12); Brechtel(4); Foland(5); Drake 2(3). HBP - Brechtel;
Banda 2. SB - Hall, L.(9). CS - Banda(2).

Texas Tech IP H R ER BB SO AB BF NP
--------------------------------------------------
Dennis, Kelsey...... 5.0 5 5 5 2 1 19 24 99
Brokeshoulder, A.... 0.1 2 2 2 0 0 3 3 8
Merlich, Karli...... 0.2 1 0 0 0 0 3 3 15

Nebraska IP H R ER BB SO AB BF NP
--------------------------------------------------
Hagemann, Ashley.... 7.0 6 0 0 2 9 25 27 113

Win - Hagemann (25-8). Loss - Dennis, K. (12-4). Save - None.
HBP - by Dennis, K. (Banda); by Dennis, K. (Brechtel); by Dennis, K. (Banda). BK
- Dennis, K.(3). PB - Gentsch, H.(3). Pitches/strikes: Dennis, K. 99/61;
Brokeshoulde 8/4; Merlich, K. 15/10; Hagemann 113/71.
Umpires - HP: Scott Thomas 1B: Danny Bowman 3B: Susie Benzell
Start: 1:01 pm Time: 1:57 Attendance: 909
Game: NU44