Fowler's Walk-Off Homer Lifts NU to 7-5 Win

NEBRASKA  7 5 depaul
Box Score

Inning-by-Inning
Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7		R	H	E
DePaul	3	0	0	0	0	0	2		5	5	1
Nebraska	0	0	0	0	3	1	3		7	8	3

Pitching
	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO
W - McClure (10-4)	2.0	2	2	0	2	2
L - Maize (5-11)	6.1	8	7	7	6	6
S - None	0.0	0	0	0	0	0

Individual Leaders
	AB	R	H	RBI	2B	HR
MJ Knighten	3	1	1	3	0	1
Mattie Fowler	3	1	2	3	0	1

Game Notes

Nebraska went 2-3 at the Easton Tournament but went 3-3 on the week including Wednesday's home win over UNO...the Huskers have had a .500 record or better in all six weeks this season...Taylor Kadavy made her first career start in the circle...Caitlin Bartsch threw a career-high 4.1 innings, allowing only one hit and no runs...MJ Knighten hit her 15th home run...she is now tied for sixth in school history with 15 home runs in a season...she is one shy of the Nebraska junior record for home runs in a season (16).

Fullerton, Calif. - The 23rd-ranked Nebraska softball team rallied twice to defeat DePaul, 7-5, on Sunday in the Huskers' final game at the Easton Tournament.

The Huskers trailed 3-0 early but scored four runs over the fifth and sixth innings to take a 4-3 lead. Down to its final out, DePaul rallied to take a 5-4 lead in the top of the seventh. But the Huskers would not be denied as senior Mattie Fowler hit a walk-off, three-run homer to lift Nebraska to the win.

The come-from-behind win snapped a season-long three-game losing streak, as Nebraska improved to 18-9 on the year. Junior Cassie McClure (10-4) earned the win in relief, tossing 2.0 innings of relief and allowing only two unearned runs. Sophomore Caitlin Bartsch did not factor into the decision but was outstanding in the best outing of her young career. Bartsch tossed a career-high 4.1 innings and did not allow a run while surrendering just one hit and working around a pair of Husker errors. Sophomore Taylor Kadavy earned her first career start in the circle and allowed three runs in 0.2 innings.

Offensively, Fowler finished 2-for-3 with her game-winning three-run homer. Junior MJ Knighten also hit a three-run homer, her 15th home run of the season. Sophomore Laura Barrow added two hits and a go-ahead RBI single that gave Nebraska the lead heading into the seventh inning.

DePaul jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the top of the first on a sacrifice fly and a two-run homer.

Neither team mounted a threat again until the bottom of the fifth, when sophomore Taylor Otte and Barrow doubled to begin the inning. Then with one out, Knighten launched a game-tying three-run homer just inside the left field foul pole.

The Huskers took their first lead in the bottom of the sixth. Sophomore Austen Urness doubled and scored on a clutch two-out, RBI single from Barrow.

McClure then struck out the first two batters of the seventh inning before a pair of walks and an error opened the door for a two-out, two-run single that gave the Blue Demons a 5-4 lead.

Nebraska then benefitted from two walks in the bottom of the seventh, as senior Alicia Armstrong and McClure drew back-to-back one-out walks before Fowler blasted the next pitch over the fence in left center for her walk-off winner.

Following a 3-3 week, Nebraska will travel to Iowa State for a single game with the Cyclones on Wednesday in Ames, Iowa.

 

Box Score

 

2016 Nebraska Softball DePaul vs #23 Nebraska Mar 20, 2016 at Fullerton, Calif. (Anderson Field 2)

DePaul 5 (6-19)

Player AB R H RBI BB SO PO A LOB ------------------------------------------------------ FITZGERALD, Micah 2b..... 3 1 1 0 0 1 0 2 1 GARDNER, Kali ph........ 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 LENTI, Gena rf........... 2 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 Greenwood, Morgan ph.... 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 CHRISTENSEN, Dylan 1b.... 2 1 1 0 2 0 5 0 0 CHAMBERS, Cherelle pr... 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 MAIZE, Morgan p.......... 3 1 0 1 0 0 1 1 0 TELLEZ, Naomi c.......... 3 1 1 2 1 0 6 0 0 Rodriguez, Alysia 3b..... 4 0 1 2 0 0 1 1 2 LEYVA, Megan dp.......... 4 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 2 CHRISTENSEN, Haydn ss.... 2 0 0 0 1 0 1 1 0 Viles, Brianna lf........ 1 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 PENDILTON, Marsha' ph... 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 SCALZITTI, Angela cf..... 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 Totals................... 27 5 5 5 5 2 19 5 8

Nebraska 7 (18-9)

Player AB R H RBI BB SO PO A LOB ------------------------------------------------------ Stokes, Kiki cf.......... 4 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 Knighten, MJ 3b.......... 3 1 1 3 1 1 0 5 0 Armstrong, Alicia ss..... 1 1 0 0 3 1 2 4 0 Metzler, Gina pr........ 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 McClure, Cassie dp....... 2 1 0 0 1 1 0 0 3 Jablonski, Kaylan dp.... 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Fowler, Mattie 1b........ 3 1 2 3 1 0 9 0 1 Sjulin, Lotte pr........ 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Unzicker, Madi c......... 2 0 0 0 0 2 4 1 0 Simmons, Alyvia ph...... 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Urness, Austen rf........ 3 1 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 Otte, Taylor lf.......... 3 1 1 0 0 1 2 0 1 Barrow, Laura 2b......... 3 1 2 1 0 0 3 1 0 Kadavy, Taylor p......... 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Bartsch, Caitlin p...... 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 Totals................... 26 7 8 7 6 6 21 12 6

Score by Innings R H E ----------------------------------------- DePaul.............. 300 000 2 - 5 5 1 Nebraska............ 000 031 3 - 7 8 3 -----------------------------------------

E - TELLEZ(3); Armstrong 2(3); Barrow(7). DP - Blue Demons 1; Huskers 1. LOB - Blue Demons 8; Huskers 6. 2B - Urness(1); Otte(2); Barrow(3). HR - TELLEZ(6); Knighten(15); Fowler(3). SH - LENTI, G.(2). SF - MAIZE(1). SB - Rodriguez; Stokes(11); Knighten(1).

DePaul IP H R ER BB SO AB BF NP -------------------------------------------------- MAIZE, Morgan....... 6.1 8 7 7 6 6 26 32 125

Nebraska IP H R ER BB SO AB BF NP -------------------------------------------------- Kadavy, Taylor...... 0.2 2 3 3 1 0 2 5 27 Bartsch, Caitlin.... 4.1 1 0 0 2 0 16 18 56 McClure, Cassie..... 2.0 2 2 0 2 2 9 11 38

Win - McClure (10-4). Loss - MAIZE (5-11). Save - None. WP - Kadavy(2). PB - Unzicker(4). Pitches/strikes: MAIZE 125/73; Kadavy 27/16; Bartsch 56/30; McClure 38/26. Umpires - HP: James Walker III 1B: Sue Sawyer 3B: Trina Comerford Start: 2:36 pm Time: 2:16 Attendance: Game: livegame