Huskers Rally Past Purdue, 3-2

Lincoln - Back-to-back clutch hits from freshman Hailey Decker and sophomore Mattie Fowler highlighted the Huskers' two-run sixth inning, as 14th-ranked Nebraska rallied for a 3-2 victory in front of 1,518 fans at Bowlin Stadium in a Big Ten Tournament quarterfinal.

Purdue grabbed an early 2-0 lead thanks to a pair of bases-loaded walks in the top of the first inning. The Huskers cut the lead to 2-1 in the bottom of the frame thanks to doubles from junior Tatum Edwards and senior Brooke Thomason.

But the Boilermakers held the 2-1 lead until the bottom of the sixth, when Nebraska won a game in its final at bat for the 11th time this season. Thomason began the rally with a hard-hit infield single that deflected off of Purdue pitcher Lexy Moore. She moved to second on a sacrifice bunt from classmate Courtney Breault, before Decker came to the plate. Decker fell behind in the count 0-2 and fouled off a pair of 1-2 pitches before lining a game-tying RBI single into left field. Decker advanced to second on the throw home, moved to third on a ground out and scored when Fowler delivered a clutch two-out, opposite field RBI single to score Decker.

Tatum Edwards, who shut out Purdue after the two-run first inning, then worked around a one-out single to finish off the Boilermakers in the top of the seventh. Edwards (26-8) allowed six hits and worked around eight walks, thanks in part to seven strikeouts.

The fairly routine seventh inning came one frame after Purdue nearly added to its lead in the top of the sixth. The Boilermakers had two on and one out and came through with a single, but sophomore Jordan Bettiol threw the runner out at home trying to score, keeping it a one-run game and turning the momentum Nebraska's way.

With the win, Nebraska picked up its 40th victory of the season, improving to 40-12 on the year. The Huskers advanced to Saturday's second semifinal, where they will face Minnesota at 4:30 p.m. The game will be televised by the Big Ten Network.

Purdue ended its season with a 23-32 record. Moore pitched well, scattering nine hits while allowing no walks and three runs. Offensively, the Boilermakers stranded 11 runners.

Box Score 2013 Nebraska Softball Purdue at #14 Nebraska May 10, 2013 at Lincoln, Neb. (Bowlin Stadium)

Purdue 2 (23-32)

Player AB R H RBI BB SO PO A LOB ------------------------------------------------------ Varsho, Andie rf......... 1 0 0 0 3 1 0 0 0 Rains, Lindsey cf........ 4 1 3 0 0 0 2 0 1 Burkhardt, Ashley 2b..... 4 1 2 0 0 2 3 3 2 Fletcher, Danielle c..... 4 0 0 0 0 1 2 0 3 Chiodo, Tori 3b.......... 3 0 1 1 1 0 0 1 0 Monchek, Maia lf......... 3 0 0 1 1 0 2 0 0 Andrew, Paris ss......... 4 0 0 0 0 0 3 1 5 Petruzzi, Erika dp....... 2 0 0 0 1 2 0 0 0 Pencek, Sydney pr....... 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Courtney, Ashley 1b...... 1 0 0 0 2 1 6 0 0 Moore, Lexy p............ 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 Totals................... 26 2 6 2 8 7 18 6 11

Nebraska 3 (40-12)

Player AB R H RBI BB SO PO A LOB ------------------------------------------------------ Edwards, Tatum p......... 3 1 1 0 0 0 1 2 1 Banda, Gabby 3b.......... 3 0 1 0 0 0 1 2 0 Edwards, Taylor c........ 3 0 0 0 0 0 9 1 0 Thomason, Brooke rf...... 3 1 2 1 0 1 0 0 0 Breault, Courtney dp..... 2 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 1 Decker, Hailey 2b........ 3 1 1 1 0 0 1 2 2 Armstrong, Alicia ss..... 3 0 0 0 0 0 2 2 0 Fowler, Mattie 1b........ 3 0 2 1 0 0 5 0 0 Bettiol, Jordan cf....... 3 0 1 0 0 0 1 1 2 Stokes, Kiki lf.......... 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 Totals................... 26 3 9 3 0 2 21 10 6

Score by Innings R H E ----------------------------------------- Purdue.............. 200 000 0 - 2 6 0 Nebraska............ 100 002 X - 3 9 2 -----------------------------------------

E - Decker 2(8). DP - Huskers 1. LOB - Boilermakers 11; Huskers 6. 2B - Edwards, Tat(9); Thomason(11). SH - Breault(2). SB - Banda(6).

Purdue IP H R ER BB SO AB BF NP -------------------------------------------------- Moore, Lexy......... 6.0 9 3 3 0 2 26 27 99

Nebraska IP H R ER BB SO AB BF NP -------------------------------------------------- Edwards, Tatum...... 7.0 6 2 2 8 7 26 34 150

Win - Edwards, Tat (26-8). Loss - Moore, L. (11-15). Save - None. WP - Edwards, Tat(11). Pitches/strikes: Moore, L. 99/70; Edwards, Tat 150/90. Umpires - HP: Laura Nesteriak 1B: Bill Gomoluch 3B: Cathy Creighton Start: 7:30 pm Time: 2:06 Attendance: 1518 Game: livegame