Knighten Walk-Off Caps Wild Doubleheader

NEBRASKA  6 5 wisconsin
Box Score

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

Pitching
	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO
W - Jablonski (8-5)	9.0	9	5	4	5	9
L - Sevens (10-11)	8.0	9	6	6	1	4
S - None	0.0	0	0	0	0	0

Individual Leaders
	AB	R	H	RBI	2B	HR
Kiki Stokes	5	1	4	0	0	0
MJ Knighten	5	2	1	3	0	1

Game Notes

Nebraska finished the regular season with a 32-18 record...NU improved to 3-3 in extra innings...the doubleheader lasted a total of 23 innings...Nebraska produced the winning run in the seventh inning or later for the 11th time this season...Nebraska finished the season with a school-record average attendance of 1,007...the win was Nebraska's 200th victory at Bowlin Stadium...the Huskers will be either the No. 5 or No. 6 seed for next week's Big Ten Tournament, depending on the result of Ohio State's game on Sunday...Kaylan Jablonski threw a career-high 9.0 innings...she also struck out nine, tying her career high...MJ Knighten hit her second walk-off home run of the season...the homer was her 21st of the year, one shy of the Nebraska school record.

Lincoln - MJ Knighten ended a marathon doubleheader with a walk-off, three-run homer in the bottom of the ninth inning, powering the Nebraska softball team to a 6-5 win over Wisconsin in the nightcap at Bowlin Stadium.

The teams split the doubleheader, after Wisconsin won game one in 14 innings. After splitting the 23-inning doubleheader, Nebraska ended the regular season with a 32-18 record. The Huskers finished Big Ten play with a 13-9 record.

Sophomore Kaylan Jablonski (8-5) earned the win in the longest outing of her career. Jablonski tossed a complete game, allowing five runs (four earned) in 9.0 innings, while tying her career high with nine strikeouts. Kirsten Stevens (10-11) also threw a complete game for Wisconsin, allowing six runs on nine hits.

Wisconsin scored first, plating one run in the top of the second inning on a bloop two-out double from Taylor Berry that scored Katie Christner from first base.

Nebraska tied the game in the bottom of the third inning on a leadoff solo home run from freshman Alyvia Simmons. Sophomore Laura Barrow then walked, which was followed by a single from senior Kiki Stokes. With two outs, senior Mattie Fowler lined a two-run single to right to give the Huskers a 3-1 lead.

The Badgers pulled even with a two-out rally in the top of the fifth. With a runner at first and two outs, Chloe Miller singled then advanced to second a wild pitch. Sara Novak followed with a two-run single that tied the game at 3-3.

Stokes led off the bottom of the frame with a double, but the Huskers were unable to advance her.

The next runner to reach scoring position for either team came in the bottom of the eighth, when senior Dawna Tyson drew a leadoff walk and junior pinch runner Lotte Sjulin advanced to second on a ground out by Jablonski. Sophomore Austen Urness then walked to put runners at first and second with one out before Simmons lined into an inning-ending double play.

Wisconsin grabbed the lead with two runs in the top of the ninth. The Badgers had a runner at first with two outs when Kelsey Jenkins singled up the middle. Miller then hit an RBI single to right field and an NU error allowed the second run to score.

But the Huskers would not lose a second straight extra-inning heartbreaker. Barrow began the bottom of the ninth with a double before Stokes singled to put runners at first and second. That set the stage for Knighten, who launched a towering three-run homer to left for her second walk-off home run of the season.

The homer was Knighten's lone hit of the game, but she finished with a game-high three RBIs. Stokes tied her career high with four hits in the win, finishing 4-for-5, while Fowler added a pair of RBIs.

With the regular season now complete, Nebraska turns its attention to the Big Ten Tournament May 12-14. The bracket for the tournament will be released on Sunday. 

Box Score 2016 Nebraska Softball Wisconsin at Nebraska (Game 2) May 07, 2016 at Lincoln, Neb. (Bowlin Stadium)

Wisconsin 5 (28-23-1,11-11-1 Big Ten)

Player AB R H RBI BB SO PO A LOB ------------------------------------------------------ Ashley Van Zeeland ss.... 4 1 1 0 1 1 3 6 2 Kelsey Jenkins 3b........ 5 2 1 0 0 0 0 4 0 Chloe Miller rf.......... 5 1 3 2 0 1 1 0 1 Sara Novak 1b............ 5 0 2 2 0 1 14 0 2 Gabby Scherle pr........ 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Melanie Cross dp......... 4 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 1 Kelly Welsh cf........... 3 0 0 0 1 1 2 0 0 Katie Christner lf....... 2 1 0 0 2 0 0 0 1 Taylor Berry c........... 3 0 1 1 0 1 1 0 1 Brooke Mann ph.......... 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Macy Oswald 2b........... 2 0 1 0 1 1 3 3 0 Samantha Arents ph...... 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 Kirsten Stevens p........ 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 Totals................... 35 5 9 5 5 9 24 15 8

Nebraska 6 (32-18,13-9 Big Ten)

Player AB R H RBI BB SO PO A LOB ------------------------------------------------------ Stokes, Kiki cf.......... 5 1 4 0 0 0 3 1 0 Knighten, MJ 3b.......... 5 2 1 3 0 0 0 3 0 Armstrong, Alicia ss..... 3 0 0 0 1 0 2 5 0 Fowler, Mattie 1b........ 4 0 1 2 0 1 7 0 4 Tyson, Dawna dp.......... 3 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 Sjulin, Lotte pr........ 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Jablonski, Kaylan p...... 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Urness, Austen lf........ 3 0 1 0 1 0 2 0 0 Metzler, Gina lf........ 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Simmons, Alyvia rf....... 4 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 2 Otte, Taylor pr/rf...... 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Barrow, Laura 2b......... 3 2 1 0 1 0 5 1 1 Cassidy, Bri c........... 0 0 0 0 0 0 8 4 0 Totals................... 34 6 9 6 4 1 27 14 8

Score by Innings R H E ------------------------------------------- Wisconsin........... 010 020 002 - 5 9 2 Nebraska............ 003 000 003 - 6 9 2 -------------------------------------------

E - OSWALD 2(9); Knighten(12); Simmons(2). DP - Badgers 1. LOB - Badgers 8; Huskers 8. 2B - BERRY(1); Stokes(11); Barrow(8). HR - Knighten(21); Simmons(5). SB - SCHERLE(10); Stokes(20); Knighten(6). CS - WELSH(2).

Wisconsin IP H R ER BB SO AB BF NP -------------------------------------------------- Kirsten Stevens..... 8.0 9 6 6 4 1 34 38 133

Nebraska IP H R ER BB SO AB BF NP -------------------------------------------------- Jablonski, Kaylan... 9.0 9 5 4 5 9 35 40 139

Win - Jablonski (8-5). Loss - STEVENS (10-11). Save - None. WP - Jablonski(14). Pitches/strikes: STEVENS 133/80; Jablonski 139/80. Umpires - HP: Richard Cowan 1B: Joe Havenhill 3B: John Baca Start: 6:21 pm Time: 2:38 Attendance: 1181 STEVENS faced 3 batters in the 9th. Game: NEB50