Huskers Blank Bruins, 16-0

Lincoln - The Nebraska softball team used a complete effort to blank the Bellevue Bruins, 16-0, in a 10-inning exhibition game Sunday afternoon at Bowlin Stadium.

Offensively, Nebraska scored multiple runs in five of its nine innings at bats while producing 26 hits. Ten Huskers tallied multiple hits, including senior Dawna Tyson, juniors Rachel Arthur, MJ Knighten and Lotte Sjulin, sophomores Kaylan Jablonski, Gina Metzler, Taylor Otte, Madi Unzicker and Austen Urness and freshman Brianna Cassidy. Jablonski, Metzler and Otte each finished with three hits.

Knighten, Metzler and Urness all drove in three runs for the Huskers, including a two-run homer from Knighten. Otte and freshman Alyvia Simmons each produced a pair of RBIs.

In the circle, sophomore right-hander Kaylan Jablonski started and scattered six hits over 5.0 shutout innings. Junior right-hander Cassie McClure allowed only two hits over the next 4.0 innings before sophomore Taylor Kadavy closed out the game by allowing only a two-out single in the top of the 10th inning. Senior right-hander Emily Lockman pitched the eighth and the ninth innings for Bellevue against her own Husker offense, allowing two runs on five hits.

Nebraska used a two-out rally to take a 3-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning. Tyson got the rally started with a two-out single, before Jablonski grounded a single just past the shortstop. On the play, the ball got past the left fielder allowing Tyson to score the game's first run. Urness and Unzicker followed with back-to-back RBI doubles to stretch the lead to 3-0.

In the bottom of the third, Tyson led off with a double and Jablonski blooped a single to shallow left field. Urness then lined a two-run single to right to give Nebraska a 5-0 lead. The next two Huskers popped out before Simmons lined a two-run double to the gap in left center.

Nebraska used more clutch hitting to stretch the lead to 10-0 in the bottom of the fifth. Otte reached on a one-out double and scored on a two-out single from Metzler. Knighten then lined a two-run homer to left to cap the three-run, two-out rally.

The Huskers added four more two-out runs in the bottom of the sixth to grab a 14-0 lead. Unzicker ignited the rally with a two-out single, which was followed by a double down the third base line by Cassidy. Otte then lined an RBI single to drive in two, before Metzler hit a high grounder to first that deflected off the tip of the first baseman's glove for an infield single. Otte scored easily on the play and Sjulin - who had reached on a single following Otte's double - showed smart base running by scoring from second on the play.

Nebraska added two more runs in the bottom of the ninth against Lockman. Knighten drove in her third run with a one-out, RBI double before Arthur closed out the scoring with another RBI double that scored Knighten.

Nebraska returns to action next weekend when it hosts the Big Red Fall Classic at Bowlin Stadium. The Huskers open the tournament on Friday at 5 p.m. against UNO.