Fowler's Walk-Off Single Pushes Huskers Past Purdue

NEBRASKA  4 3 Purdue
Box Score

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

Pitching
	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO
W - Lockman (7-3)	2.0	2	1	0	1	0
L - Fecho (18-11)	6.1	9	4	2	3	2
S - None	0.0	0	0	0	0	0

Individual Leaders
	AB	R	H	RBI	2B	HR
Kiki Stokes	4	0	3	2	0	0
Mattie Fowler	4	0	1	1	0	0

Game Notes

Nebraska notched its 30th victory, its eighth straight season with 30 wins and the 18th time the Huskers have won 30 games in the past 19 seasons...NU scored the winning run in the seventh inning or later for the 10th time this season, including the Huskers' sixth walk-off victory...Mattie Fowler had the walk-off single, her third walk-off hit of the year...Nebraska has trailed in the seventh inning but rallied to win five times this season ...Dawna Tyson had two hits and her second-inning single was the 100th hit of her career...Kaylan Jablonski saw her scoreless innings streak against Purdue snapped at 17.0 when she allowed a sixth-inning run.

Lincoln - The Nebraska softball team earned its 30th victory in dramatic fashion on Saturday, scoring twice in the bottom of the seventh inning to rally for a 4-3 series-clinching victory over Purdue at Bowlin Stadium.

The Huskers led 2-0 and appeared to be in control heading into the sixth inning, before Purdue scored three times in the top of the sixth to take the lead. Nebraska went quietly in the bottom of the sixth before tying the game with one out in the bottom of the seventh inning on a Boilermaker error. Senior Mattie Fowler then lined an RBI single to center that gave Nebraska (30-17) its 30th win of the season.

The Huskers improved to 30-17 with their sixth walk-off victory of the year, and Nebraska moved to 11-8 in Big Ten play. Senior right-hander Emily Lockman (7-3) earned the win, allowing only one unearned run in 2.0 innings of relief. Sophomore right-hander Kaylan Jablonski got the start and pitched well, allowing two runs on four hits in 5.0 innings.

Lilly Fecho, the Big Ten ERA leader, took the loss for Purdue (27-24, 8-12 Big Ten). Fecho (18-11) allowed four runs (two earned) in a complete-game effort.

Nebraska recorded nine hits off Fecho but had trouble producing in clutch situations. The Huskers hit into two double plays and were just 2-for-12 with runners in scoring position before Fowler's walk-off single.

The Huskers got the leadoff runner on base in each of the first five innings. Nebraska was unable to convert a leadoff single in both the first and the second innings. Then in the bottom of the third, sophomore Madi Unzicker led off with a double, classmate Laura Barrow walked and senior Kiki Stokes singled to load the bases with no outs. But once again the Huskers couldn't take advantage, as Purdue turned back-to-back ground balls into force outs at home before a line out to third ended the threat.

In the bottom of the fourth, the Huskers threatened again when senior Dawna Tyson led off with a single and Jablonski followed with a double to put runners at second and third with no outs. Purdue recorded an out before Unzicker was hit by a pitch to load the bases with one out. A strikeout marked the second out before Nebraska finally broke through when Stokes recorded her third hit in four innings, lining a two-run single to center field that gave Nebraska a 2-0 lead.

Purdue got its first runner into scoring position in the top of the fifth, as the Boilermakers had runners at first and third with no outs, before a line drive turned into a double play and a fly out ended the threat.

The Boilermakers then used a Husker error to take a 3-2 lead in the top of the sixth. Purdue started the inning with a triple and a double to plate its first run. A fly out marked the first out of the inning and the next four balls Purdue put in play were all soft grounders on the infield, but Nebraska was able to turn only two of those grounders into outs. The first ground ball was misplayed for an error that allowed the tying run to score and the next grounder was perfectly placed for an infield single. The third ground ball was converted into an out, but a run scored on the play.

The Huskers were retired in order in the bottom of the sixth before Barrow began the seventh inning with a single. Stokes brought the crowd to its feet with a long drive down the right field line that sailed foul - missing a potential walk-off homer - before flying out to left. Purdue then elected to intentionally walk junior MJ Knighten to put runners on first and second for senior Alicia Armstrong. Armstrong hit a ground ball to third that was misplayed and Barrow was not only safe at third on the play, but she came around to score the tying run. Fowler then lined a 1-1 pitch into center to score Knighten with the winning run.

The walk-off single was Fowler's lone hit of the game. Stokes finished 3-for-4 with a pair of RBIs, while Tyson was 2-for-3 with a run scored to highlight a big day for the Husker seniors. Nebraska's seniors combined for six of the Huskers' nine hits and all three RBIs, plus Lockman earned the win in the circle.

Nebraska wraps up the regular season next weekend when the Huskers host Wisconsin in a three-game series on Friday, Saturday and Sunday at Bowlin Stadium.

 

Box Score

 

2016 Nebraska Softball Purdue at Nebraska Apr 30, 2016 at Lincoln, Neb (Bowlin Stadium)

Purdue 3 (27-24,8-12 Big Ten)

Player AB R H RBI BB SO PO A LOB ------------------------------------------------------ Hoppman, Kristen ss...... 4 1 2 1 0 0 3 5 0 Gooding, Mary 2b......... 3 0 1 0 0 0 0 2 0 Kenny, Emily rf/dp....... 3 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Harrison, Katie dp....... 2 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 1 Pencek, Sydney pr/cf.... 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Stewart, Lauren lf....... 3 0 2 0 0 0 2 0 0 Huffman, Lexi 1b......... 3 0 0 1 0 1 7 1 0 Andrew, Paris 3b......... 3 0 0 0 0 0 3 4 2 Hampton, Kaylah c........ 3 0 0 0 0 0 4 0 1 Hughes, Maya cf/rf....... 3 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 Fecho, Lilly p........... 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Totals................... 27 3 6 2 1 2 19 12 4

Nebraska 4 (30-17,11-8 Big Ten)

Player AB R H RBI BB SO PO A LOB ------------------------------------------------------ Stokes, Kiki cf.......... 4 0 3 2 0 0 3 0 0 Knighten, MJ 3b.......... 3 1 0 0 1 0 1 1 2 Armstrong, Alicia ss..... 3 0 0 0 1 0 1 1 0 Fowler, Mattie 1b........ 4 0 1 1 0 0 9 0 4 Tyson, Dawna dp.......... 3 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 Otte, Taylor lf......... 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Jablonski, Kaylan p/dp... 3 1 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 Simmons, Alyvia rf....... 3 0 0 0 0 1 3 0 0 Unzicker, Madi c......... 2 0 1 0 0 0 0 3 0 Barrow, Laura 2b......... 2 1 1 0 1 1 3 6 0 Metzler, Gina lf/pr...... 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 Lockman, Emily p........ 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Totals................... 27 4 9 3 3 2 21 12 8

Score by Innings R H E ----------------------------------------- Purdue.............. 000 003 0 - 3 6 1 Nebraska............ 000 200 2 - 4 9 2 -----------------------------------------

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

E - Andrew, P.(9); Armstrong(10); Lockman(2). DP - Boilermakers 2; Huskers 1. LOB - Boilermakers 4; Huskers 8. 2B - Hoppman, K.(7); Jablonski(9); Unzicker(7). 3B - Hughes, M.(1). HBP - Unzicker. SB - Stokes(17). CS - Hoppman, K.(6).

Purdue IP H R ER BB SO AB BF NP -------------------------------------------------- Fecho, Lilly........ 6.1 9 4 2 3 2 27 31 110

Nebraska IP H R ER BB SO AB BF NP -------------------------------------------------- Jablonski, Kaylan... 5.0 4 2 2 0 2 19 19 62 Lockman, Emily...... 2.0 2 1 0 1 0 8 9 24

Win - Lockman (7-3). Loss - Fecho, L. (18-11). Save - None. WP - Jablonski(13); Lockman(8). HBP - by Fecho, L. (Unzicker). Pitches/strikes: Fecho, L. 110/62; Jablonski 62/40; Lockman 24/15. Umpires - HP: Scott Brians 1B: Chad Spitler 3B: Brian Miller Start: 1:34 pm Time: 1:59 Attendance: 475 Jablonski faced 2 batters in the 6th. Game: NEB47