Huskers Walk-Off With Win Over Louisville

Nebraska  4 3 louisville
Box Score

Inning-by-Inning
Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7		R	H	E
Louisville	0	0	0	1	1	0	1		3	5	1
Nebraska	0	0	0	3	0	0	1		4	9	1

Pitching
	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO
W - McCLure (4-0)	3.0	3	2	1	0	1
L - Becker (2-2)	6.0	6	3	3	0	2
S - None	0.0	0	0	0	0	0

Individual Leaders
	AB	R	H	RBI	2B	HR
Mattie Fowler	2	0	1	2	1	0
Kiki Stokes	4	0	2	1	0	0

Game Notes

Nebraska improved to 7-0, one win shy of matching the best start in school history...NU has scored the winning run in its final at bat in four of its seven victories...Lotte Sjulin started in right field, marking the first career start for the junior...Kiki Stokes singled in the bottom of the first inning to extend her hitting streak to 10 games dating back to last season...MJ Knighten singled to lead off the bottom of the fourth inning to extend her hitting streak to nine games dating back to 2015...Cassie McClure allowed an unearned run to see her scoreless innings streak snapped at 16.0...on Friday in the first day of the Big Ten/ACC Challenge, the Big Ten posted a 6-2 record.

Raleigh, N.C. - All-American Kiki Stokes delivered a walk-off single in the bottom of the seventh inning to lift the Nebraska softball team to a 4-3 win over Louisville on Saturday in the first of two games for the Huskers at the Big Ten/ACC Challenge.

Stokes' single improved Nebraska to 7-0 this season. The Huskers will aim to match the best start in school history later Saturday when Nebraska faces host North Carolina State at approximately 4 p.m. (Central).

Louisville struck first, grabbing a 1-0 in the top of the fourth when Maryssa Becker sent the first pitch of the inning over the wall in center.

Nebraska answered back in the bottom of the frame. Junior MJ Knighten led off with a single which was followed by an infield single from senior Alicia Armstrong. A sacrifice bunt from senior Dawna Tyson moved both runners into scoring position before senior Mattie Fowler gave the Huskers a 2-1 lead with a two-run double to center. Junior Lotte Sjulin ran for Fowler at second and scored on an RBI single from sophomore Madi Unizicker to stretch the lead to 3-1.

The Cardinals got a run back in the top of the fifth. Morgan Hart greeted junior reliever Cassie McClure with a double off the wall in left. McClure bounced back to retire the next two hitters before a passed ball allowed trimmed the lead to 3-2.

The Huskers were then one out away from victory in the top of the seventh before Hart hit a game-tying solo home run to knot the score at 3-3.

That set the stage for Stokes' walk-off victory. Unzicker got the rally started with a double off the wall in left. She moved up to third on a single from classmate Gina Metzler. With runners on first and third and one out, Becker appeared to be pitching around Stokes as she fell behind 3-0. She then delivered a strike before Stokes chased a pitch out of the strike zone for strike two. Becker then left her 3-2 pitch over the outside corner and Stokes lined a single over the center fielder's head that scored Unzicker with the winning run.

McClure (4-0) earned the win despite allowing her first run of the year. In 3.0 innings, McClure surrendered two runs (one earned). Sophomore Kaylan Jablonski earned the start and recorded another strong outing, allowing one run on only two hits over the first 4.0 innings.

Offensively, Stokes, Armstrong and Unzicker all had two hits apiece for the Huskers, while Fowler drove in two runs.

 

Box Score

 

2016 Nebraska Softball Louisville vs Nebraska Feb 20, 2016 at Raleigh, N.C. (Dail Stadium)

Louisville 3 (5-2)

Player AB R H RBI BB SO PO A LOB ------------------------------------------------------ Sidney Melton rf......... 4 0 1 0 0 1 1 0 1 Jordan McNary lf......... 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 Maryssa Becker p......... 3 1 1 1 0 0 0 5 0 Megan Hensley dp......... 2 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 Nicole Pufahl cf......... 3 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 Hailey Smith 3b.......... 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 0 Brittany Sims ss......... 3 0 0 0 0 0 1 3 1 Morgan Hart c............ 3 1 2 1 0 0 2 0 0 Morgan Meyer pr......... 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Jordan Vorbrink 1b....... 2 0 0 0 0 0 11 0 0 Ashley Nikolao ph....... 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 Jamie Soles 2b........... 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 3 0 Totals................... 26 3 5 2 1 2 19 15 4

Nebraska 4 (7-0)

Player AB R H RBI BB SO PO A LOB ------------------------------------------------------ Stokes, Kiki cf.......... 4 0 2 1 0 0 2 0 0 Barrow, Laura 2b......... 3 0 0 0 0 1 3 2 0 Knighten, MJ 3b.......... 3 1 1 0 0 0 1 2 0 Armstrong, Alicia ss..... 3 1 2 0 0 0 3 4 0 Tyson, Dawna 1b.......... 2 0 0 0 0 1 6 0 2 Arthur, Rachel pr....... 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Jablonski, Kaylan p...... 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 McClure, Cassie p....... 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 Fowler, Mattie dp........ 3 0 1 2 0 1 0 0 0 Unzicker, Madi c......... 3 1 2 1 0 0 3 1 0 Metzler, Gina lf......... 3 0 1 0 0 0 2 0 1 Sjulin, Lotte rf/pr...... 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 Totals................... 27 4 9 4 0 3 21 10 5

Score by Innings R H E ----------------------------------------- Louisville.......... 000 110 1 - 3 5 1 Nebraska............ 000 300 1 - 4 9 1 -----------------------------------------

Note: 1 out, 2 runners LOB when the game ended.

E - McNary; Barrow(1). DP - Cardinals 1. LOB - Cardinals 4; Huskers 5. 2B - Hart; Fowler(1); Unzicker(1). HR - Becker; Hart. HBP - McNary. SH - Tyson(1). SB - Stokes(6). CS - McNary.

Louisville IP H R ER BB SO AB BF NP -------------------------------------------------- Maryssa Becker...... 6.1 9 4 4 0 3 27 28 72

Nebraska IP H R ER BB SO AB BF NP -------------------------------------------------- Jablonski, Kaylan... 4.0 2 1 1 1 1 15 16 58 McClure, Cassie..... 3.0 3 2 1 0 1 11 12 43

Win - McClure (4-0). Loss - Becker (2-2). Save - None. WP - Becker. HBP - by McClure (McNary). PB - Unzicker(2). Pitches/strikes: Becker 72/53; Jablonski 58/36; McClure 43/27. Umpires - HP: Cameron Ellison 1B: Anthony Lewis 3B: Philip Freels Start: 11:02 am Time: 1:46 Attendance: Game: NEB7