Huskers Fall Late to Texas Tech

Lincoln - Missed scoring opportunities and a disastrous seventh inning doomed the 14th-ranked Nebraska softball team in a 5-0 loss to Texas Tech on Sunday at Bowlin Stadium.

The Red Raiders broke open a scoreless game by scoring all five runs in the top of the seventh. Texas Tech had only four base runners and just two hits through the first six innings, before the first six Red Raiders reached in the top of the seventh.

Texas Tech hit only two balls out of the infield in the decisive five-run seventh inning. A walk and back-to-back bunt singles loaded the bases with none out, before Randi Tongate hit a blooper that landed just inside the left-field foul line for an RBI single. A hit batter and an RBI single scored the next two runs before a Husker error prolonged the inning and led to two additional runs.

While Texas Tech made the most of its scoring chance, the Huskers missed several opportunities to take the lead. Nebraska hit into two double plays in the game and still stranded seven runners. The Huskers had two runners on base with one out or less in three of the final five innings, and came up empty with a runner on third base and less than two outs in both the third and fifth innings.

Texas Tech left-hander Brittany Talley escaped trouble all day long, working around six hits and two walks to toss her fifth shutout of the season. Talley improved to 14-5 on the season with the win, while Texas Tech moved to 40-12 on the year, including a 5-11 mark in the Big 12 Conference.

Junior right-hander Ashley Hagemann (25-9) took the loss for the Huskers. Hagemann took a two-hitter into the seventh inning, before running into some bad luck. In 6.0 innings, she allowed three runs on five hits, striking out seven and walking three. Freshman right-hander Tatum Edwards recorded the final three outs, allowing two unearned runs on one hit.

With the loss, Nebraska fell to 35-10 on the season and 5-7 in conference play.

Nebraska's first scoring threat in the bottom of the third inning. Sophomore Gabby Banda drew a leadoff walk, before junior Madison Drake reached on a bunt single. Classmate Nikki Haget then moved the runners to second and third with a sacrifice bunt before a shallow fly out to left and a pop out to second base ended the inning.

The Huskers missed two more chances in the fourth and fifth innings. Junior Ashley Guile and sophomore Brooke Thomason reached on back-to-back one-out singles in the fourth, but were stranded at second and third. Then in the fifth, Drake led off with a double before Haget followed with a walk to put runners on first and second with no outs. But a foul out and a double play again ended the inning.

Nebraska got a leadoff single in the bottom of the sixth from senior Julie Brechtel, before the Red Raiders turned a double play for the second straight inning. Thomason was then hit by a pitch before a fly out to center kept the game scoreless.

After Texas Tech's five-run seventh inning, Nebraska went down in order in the bottom of the inning.

Drake paced Nebraska's offense with a 2-for-3 day that included a double, the game's lone extra-base hit.

The Huskers hit the road for the final time in the regular season next weekend, when they travel to Waco, Texas, for a two-game series with No. 17 Baylor.

Box Score 2011 Nebraska Softball Texas Tech at #14 Nebraska May 01, 2011 at Lincoln, Neb. (Bowlin Stadium)

Texas Tech 5 (40-12,5-11 Big 12)

Player AB R H RBI BB SO PO A LOB ------------------------------------------------------ Bledsoe, Emily 3b........ 4 1 1 1 0 1 3 1 0 Hall, Logan 2b........... 4 0 1 0 0 0 2 3 1 James, Sandy 1b.......... 3 0 0 0 1 1 8 1 0 Kenney, Mikey cf......... 3 0 0 0 1 1 2 0 3 Allen, Cydney dp......... 2 0 0 0 1 2 0 0 0 Ward, Kermitria pr/dp... 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 Hamada, Ashley rf........ 3 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 Richardson, Raven ss..... 3 1 1 0 0 1 1 3 0 Tongate, Randi c......... 2 0 1 1 1 1 4 0 0 Palmer, Jordan pr....... 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Clemmons, McKenzie lf.... 2 1 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 Gentsch, Holley ph...... 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 Talley, Brittany p....... 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 Totals................... 27 5 6 3 4 7 21 10 6

Nebraska 0 (35-10,5-7 Big 12)

Player AB R H RBI BB SO PO A LOB ------------------------------------------------------ Haget, Nikki cf.......... 2 0 0 0 1 0 2 0 0 Edwards, Tatum dp/p...... 3 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 Edwards, Taylor c........ 3 0 0 0 0 1 8 2 3 Brechtel, Julie 2b....... 3 0 1 0 0 0 3 1 1 Guile, Ashley 1b......... 3 0 1 0 0 0 3 0 0 Wright, Saige pr........ 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Thomason, Brooke rf...... 2 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 Foland, Heidi 3b......... 3 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 1 Banda, Gabby ss.......... 2 0 0 0 1 0 2 0 2 Drake, Madison lf........ 3 0 2 0 0 1 0 0 0 Hagemann, Ashley p....... 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 Totals................... 24 0 6 0 2 2 21 5 7

Score by Innings R H E ----------------------------------------- Texas Tech.......... 000 000 5 - 5 6 0 Nebraska............ 000 000 0 - 0 6 1 -----------------------------------------

E - Banda(12). DP - Red Raiders 2; Huskers 1. LOB - Red Raiders 6; Huskers 7. 2B - Drake(2). HBP - Gentsch, H.; Thomason. SH - Haget(4). SB - Edwards, Tat(5).

Texas Tech IP H R ER BB SO AB BF NP -------------------------------------------------- Talley, Brittany.... 7.0 6 0 0 2 2 24 28 100

Nebraska IP H R ER BB SO AB BF NP -------------------------------------------------- Hagemann, Ashley.... 6.0 5 3 3 3 7 23 26 94 Edwards, Tatum...... 1.0 1 2 0 1 0 4 6 27

Win - Talley, B. (14-5). Loss - Hagemann (25-9). Save - None. WP - Edwards, Tat(5). HBP - by Talley, B. (Thomason); by Edwards, Tat (Gentsch, H.). Pitches/strikes: Talley, B. 100/62; Hagemann 94/58; Edwards, Tat 27/15. Umpires - HP: Danny Bowman 1B: Susie Benzell 3B: Scott Thomas Start: 12:03 pm Time: 1:56 Attendance: 608 Hagemann faced 4 batters in the 7th. Game: NU45