Huskers Fall at No. 21 Texas A&M

College Station, Texas - The 24th-ranked Nebraska softball team walked a season-high 11 batters in a 6-0 loss to No. 21 Texas A&M on Saturday at the Aggie Softball Complex.

Eight of Nebraska's season-high 11 walks came as Texas A&M built a 5-0 lead through three innings of play. Two of Texas A&M's early runs scored on bases-loaded walks, while a third scored on a Husker error.

Senior right-hander Ashley Hagemann, fresh off a one-hit shutout of Houston earlier in the day, took the loss against the Aggies to fall to 6-6 on the season. In 2.0-plus innings, Hagemann allowed only two hits but walked five and allowed three runs (two earned). Sophomore right-hander Tatum Edwards relieved Hagemann and worked the final 4.0 innings, allowing three run on four hits, walking six and striking out three. She allowed only one run over her final 3.0 innings, including pitching a scoreless fifth and sixth innings.

Nebraska fell to 10-8 with the loss, while Texas A&M improved to 11-6 and stretched its nation-leading home winning streak to 33 games. Mel Dumezich, a 2011 All-American, earned the victory to improve to 6-4 on the year, tossing a two-hit shutout.

Things went wrong from the start for the Huskers, as an infield single, a sacrifice bunt and a Husker error staked the Aggies to a 1-0 lead after one inning.

Texas A&M added its second run in the bottom of the second with more help from the Huskers. This time Hagemann's control was the issue, as she walked three batters in the inning, including a bases-loaded walk to Natalie Villarreal that forced in a run.

Two more walks to begin the bottom of the third marked the end of the day for Hagemann. Tatum Edwards came on and recorded an out before her first walk of the game loaded the bases with only one out. A second walk forced in a run before a chopper through the right side drove in two runs to make it 5-0 Texas A&M.

Nebraska walked only one in the fourth, but the Aggies used a pair of singles to plate a two-out run and stretch the lead to 6-0.

While Tatum Edwards kept Texas A&M off the scoreboard for the rest of the game, the Husker offense was unable to mount much of a threat. Nebraska had only one hit and four base runners after the third inning.

Senior Madison Drake and freshman Mattie Fowler each went 1-for-3 to account for Nebraska's two hits. Tatum Edwards also walked in each of her three plate appearances.

The Huskers return to action on Saturday at the Texas A&M Invitational, facing Texas State at 10 a.m. and a rematch with the host Aggies at approximately 5:15 p.m.

Box Score 2012 Nebraska Softball #24 Nebraska at #21 Texas A&M Mar 02, 2012 at College Station, TX (Aggie Softball Cmplx)

Nebraska 0 (10-8)

Player AB R H RBI BB SO PO A LOB ------------------------------------------------------ Haget, Nikki cf.......... 2 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 Banda, Gabby 3b.......... 2 0 0 0 1 1 1 3 0 Edwards, Taylor c........ 3 0 0 0 0 1 6 0 1 Guile, Ashley 1b......... 3 0 0 0 0 2 4 0 1 Edwards, Tatum dp/p...... 0 0 0 0 3 0 0 1 0 Thomason, Brooke rf...... 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 Bettiol, Jordan ph...... 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 Breault, Courtney 2b..... 3 0 0 0 0 1 3 0 1 Fowler, Mattie ss........ 3 0 1 0 0 0 2 1 1 Drake, Madison lf........ 3 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 2 Hagemann, Ashley p/dp.... 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Totals................... 20 0 2 0 5 6 18 5 6

Texas A&M 6 (11-6)

Player AB R H RBI BB SO PO A LOB ------------------------------------------------------ Albus, Emily lf.......... 3 1 2 2 1 1 1 0 0 Walker, Brittany ss...... 3 0 1 0 0 0 2 4 0 Villarreal, Natalie 2b... 3 0 1 1 1 0 3 0 2 May, Meagan c............ 4 0 0 0 0 0 5 1 4 Shannon, Sydney rf....... 1 0 1 0 2 0 0 0 0 Rayburn, Kaydee pr...... 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Tysarczyk, Cassie pr/rf. 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 Dumezich, Mel p.......... 1 1 0 0 2 0 0 2 2 Stark, Jenna ph......... 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 Garza, Amber 3b.......... 4 1 0 0 0 3 4 2 0 Morgan, Nicole 1b........ 2 2 1 1 2 0 6 0 0 Garrett, Allison pr..... 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Clopton, Brittany cf..... 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 Orsak, Kelsea ph/cf..... 2 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 4 Sisk, Lindsey dp......... 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Totals................... 24 6 6 5 11 5 21 9 12

Score by Innings R H E ----------------------------------------- Nebraska............ 000 000 0 - 0 2 1 Texas A&M........... 113 100 X - 6 6 0 -----------------------------------------

E - Guile(2). DP - Aggies 1. LOB - Huskers 6; Aggies 12. SH - Haget(1); Thomason(1); Walker. SB - Albus.

Nebraska IP H R ER BB SO AB BF NP -------------------------------------------------- Hagemann, Ashley.... 2.0 2 3 2 5 2 8 14 70 Edwards, Tatum...... 4.0 4 3 3 6 3 16 22 97

Texas A&M IP H R ER BB SO AB BF NP -------------------------------------------------- Dumezich, Mel....... 7.0 2 0 0 5 6 20 27 115

Win - Dumezich (6-4). Loss - Hagemann (6-6). Save - None. WP - Edwards, Tat(4); Hagemann(7). Pitches/strikes: Hagemann 70/38; Edwards, Tat 97/52; Dumezich 115/73. Umpires - HP: Dora Martinez 1B: Perry Owens 3B: Jackie Shults Start: 2:58 pm Time: 2:12 Attendance: Hagemann faced 1 batter in the 3rd. Game: NEB18