Tatum Edwards Leads Huskers Past Aggies

Lincoln - Junior right-hander Tatum Edwards fired a two-hit shutout and hit a three-run homer to lead the 21st-ranked Nebraska softball team to its seventh straight victory and a doubleheader sweep of New Mexico State with an 8-0 five-inning win in game two in front of 580 fans at Bowlin Stadium.

Edwards tossed a two-hit shutout following a one-hit shutout in her last start at Wichita State last weekend. After earning a game one victory in relief, Edwards' fifth shutout of the season in game two improved her record to 11-4. She also extended her scoreless innings streak to 20. Overall on Friday, Edwards allowed only two hits in 8.0 shutout innings.

Offensively, Edwards was 1-for-2 with her fifth home run of the season. She scored twice and produced a season-high three RBIs. Sophomore Mattie Fowler was also strong at the plate, finishing 2-for-2 with an RBI. Freshman Dawna Tyson capped a terrific home debut, going 2-for-2 with a walk in game two after finishing 2-for-4 with an RBI in game one. Sophomore Jordan Bettiol also added two RBIs in the game two victory.

Alex Newman (7-7) suffered her second loss of the day, allowing five runs on five hits in 3.0 innings. New Mexico State fell to 15-12 on the year with the loss, while Nebraska improved to 18-5.

Nebraska took a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the second inning. Senior Brooke Thomason reached on a leadoff walk and Tyson followed with a single to put runners on first and second with no outs. Tatum Edwards then hit a ground ball to short and Teresa Conrad elected to try and get Thomason at third, but Thomason beat the throw to load the bases. Fowler then lined the first pitch she saw into center field for an RBI single that put the Huskers in front, 1-0.

Freshman Alicia Armstrong then lined a 1-2 pitch off the top of the fence in left for an RBI single that scored classmate Hailey Decker, who was pinch running for Tyson. Leading 2-0, the Huskers still had the bases loaded with no outs, before a double play and a strikeout ended the inning.

The Huskers loaded the bases with no outs again in the bottom of the fourth. Tyson led off with a single, before Tatum Edwards walked and Fowler singled. New Mexico State recorded a force out at home before Bettiol hit a two-run single to the gap in left center that stretched the lead to 4-0. Freshman Kiki Stokes then made it 5-0 with an RBI single to left. Stokes finished with four RBIs in the doubleheader, after producing two RBIs in her first 21 games this season.

Nebraska wrapped up the run-rule victory in the bottom of the fifth. Thomason and Tyson both walked, before Tatum Edwards blasted a walk-off three-run homer well over the fence in left center.

The Huskers and Aggies are scheduled to wrap up their three-game series with a single game on Saturday at 2 p.m.

Box Score

2013 Nebraska Softball New Mexico State at #21 Nebraska (Game 2) Mar 15, 2013 at Lincoln, Neb. (Bowlin Stadium)

New Mexico State 0 (15-12)

Player AB R H RBI BB SO PO A LOB ------------------------------------------------------ Olive, Amber lf.......... 2 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 Adams, Emma 3b........... 1 0 0 0 1 0 4 0 0 Rodriguez, Staci cf...... 2 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 1 Dodd, Kelsey 1b.......... 1 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 1 Dohrwardt, Chelsea pr... 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Padilla, Malena rf....... 2 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 Conrad, Teresa ss........ 2 0 1 0 0 0 1 1 0 Rother, Lacey dp......... 1 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 1 Kaaihue, Tehani 2b....... 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 Reedy, Tatum c........... 1 0 0 0 0 0 4 2 0 Cisneros, Tina ph....... 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 Ruiz, Alyssa c.......... 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Newman, Alex p........... 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 McAdams, Makayla p...... 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Totals................... 15 0 2 0 4 3 12 4 4

Nebraska 8 (18-5)

Player AB R H RBI BB SO PO A LOB ------------------------------------------------------ Stokes, Kiki cf.......... 3 0 1 1 0 1 0 0 2 Banda, Gabby 3b.......... 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 Edwards, Taylor c........ 2 0 0 0 1 1 3 1 2 Thomason, Brooke rf...... 1 2 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 Tyson, Dawna dp.......... 2 1 2 0 1 0 0 0 0 Edwards, Tatum p......... 2 2 1 3 1 0 0 1 0 Fowler, Mattie 1b........ 2 1 2 1 0 0 8 0 0 Armstrong, Alicia ss..... 2 1 1 1 0 0 1 3 0 Bettiol, Jordan lf....... 2 0 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 Decker, Hailey 2b........ 0 1 0 0 0 0 3 2 0 Totals................... 19 8 8 8 5 2 15 8 4

Score by Innings R H E -------------------------------------- New Mexico State.... 000 00 - 0 2 0 Nebraska............ 020 33 - 8 8 0 --------------------------------------

DP - Aggies 1; Huskers 1. LOB - Aggies 4; Huskers 4. HR - Edwards, Tat(5). SB - Rodriguez. CS - Olive; Edwards, Tay(1).

New Mexico State IP H R ER BB SO AB BF NP -------------------------------------------------- Newman, Alex........ 3.0 5 5 5 3 2 13 16 66 McAdams, Makayla.... 1.0 3 3 3 2 0 6 8 31

Nebraska IP H R ER BB SO AB BF NP -------------------------------------------------- Edwards, Tatum...... 5.0 2 0 0 4 3 15 19 71

Win - Edwards, Tat (11-4). Loss - Newman (7-7). Save - None. WP - Newman. Pitches/strikes: Newman 66/41; McAdams 31/15; Edwards, Tat 71/42. Umpires - HP: Matt Titkemeier 1B: John Orlowski 3B: Larry Nagel Start: 7:03 pm Time: 1:31 Attendance: 580 Game: livegame