Huskers Walk Off With Win Over Louisville

NEBRASKA  3 2 louisville
Box Score

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

Pitching
	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO
W - Lockman (10-4)	7.0	5	2	2	2	2
L - Becker (20-11)	6.1	8	3	3	2	2
S - None	0.0	0	0	0	0	0

Individual Leaders
	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	HR
Madi Unzicker	2	1	1	2	0	1
MJ Knighten	4	0	2	1	0	0

Game Notes

Nebraska improved to 61-50 all-time in the NCAA Tournament...the win was the Huskers' eighth walk-off victory of the season...Kiki Stokes led off the bottom of the first inning with a single to extend her hitting streak to 10 games...Madi Unzicker hit a two-run homer in the second inning, her first career home run in the NCAA Tournament...Laura Barrow singled in the second inning to extend her hitting streak to 10 games...MJ Knighten singled in the third inning to record her 200th hit, joining Kim Ogee as the only Huskers to total 200 hits before their senior season...Knighten had a walk-off single to drive in her 60th run of the season...Knighten is the only player in Nebraska history to total 60 hits, 60 runs and 60 RBIs in the same season.

Columbia, Mo. - Junior MJ Knighten grounded an RBI single up the middle with the bases loaded and one out in the bottom of the seventh inning, lifting the Nebraska softball team to a 3-2 walk-off victory over Louisville in the opening game of the NCAA Columbia (Mo.) Regional.

With the victory, the Huskers advanced to Friday winner bracket game. Nebraska will face either No. 15 national seed on Saturday at 1 p.m. on ESPNU. The Tigers run-ruled BYU on Thursday.

Senior right-hander Emily Lockman pitched another strong outing in the postseason, earning the win to improve to 10-4 on the year. Lockman allowed two runs on only five hits, and she now owns a 1.31 ERA in five career NCAA Tournament starts.

Offensively, Knighten was one of three Huskers who finished with multiple hits. The junior was 2-for-4 with one RBI, her 60th of the season. Senior Kiki Stokes was 2-for-3 with a walk and sophomore Laura Barrow went 2-for-3 as well. Sophomore Madi Unzicker homered and drove in two for the Big Red.

Nebraska improved to 34-19 with the win, while Louisville fell to 35-16. Maryssa Becker (20-11) took the loss, allowing three runs on eight hits in a complete-game effort.

Louisville nearly grabbed an early lead in the top of the first inning. The Cardinals had runners at first and third with one out before Knighten fielded a hard ground ball off the bat of Hailey Smith, tagged the runner out at third and then threw across the diamond to first base to complete an inning-ending double play.

Nebraska then took a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the second inning with a two-out rally. Sophomore Austen Urness worked a walk before Unzicker blasted the eighth pitch of her at bat over the fence in left for a two-run homer.

Louisville answered back in the top of the third. A bunt single, a walk and an intentional walk loaded the bases with two outs for Smith, who grounded a game-tying, two-run single up the middle.

Neither team threatened again until the bottom of the fifth, when sophomore Laura Barrow led off with a single and senior Kiki Stokes followed with another single. But a strikeout and a double play ended the threat.

Lockman shut the Cardinals down after the two-run inning, retiring 12 of the final 13 hitters. That kept the game tied heading into the bottom of the seventh inning. In the seventh, Urness began the frame with a hard single down the left field line. Unzicker then put down a successful sacrifice bunt to move sophomore pinch runner Taylor Otte to second base, and an error allowed Unzicker to reach first base safely. Barrow moved both runners up a base with a ground out to second before Stokes was intentionally walked to load the bases. Knighten then fouled off the first pitch she saw before deliver her game-winning hit.

The victory was Nebraska's eighth walk-off win of the year and marked the second time this season the Huskers have defeated Louisville with a walk-off single in the bottom of the seventh inning.

 

Box Score

 

2016 Nebraska Softball Louisville vs Nebraska May 19, 2016 at Columbia, Mo. (University Field)

Louisville 2 (35-16)

Player AB R H RBI BB SO PO A LOB ------------------------------------------------------ Sidney Melton ss......... 2 1 1 0 1 0 2 4 0 Jordan McNary lf......... 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Maryssa Becker p......... 2 0 2 0 1 0 0 1 0 Tiarra Sanabria pr...... 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Hailey Smith 3b.......... 3 0 1 2 0 0 2 5 1 Lillie Goetz dp.......... 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 Megan Hensley ph........ 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Jenna Jordan c........... 3 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 1 Nicole Pufahl cf......... 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Brittany Sims 2b......... 2 0 0 0 0 1 4 1 0 Ashley Nikolao ph....... 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 Morgan Meyer rf.......... 3 1 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 Sarah Lopesilvero 1b..... 0 0 0 0 0 0 8 0 0 Totals................... 25 2 5 2 2 2 19 11 4

Nebraska 3 (34-19)

Player AB R H RBI BB SO PO A LOB ------------------------------------------------------ Stokes, Kiki cf.......... 3 0 2 0 1 0 1 0 1 Knighten, MJ 3b.......... 4 0 2 1 0 1 1 3 0 Fowler, Mattie 1b........ 3 0 0 0 0 0 13 0 1 Armstrong, Alicia ss..... 3 0 0 0 0 0 1 4 1 Tyson, Dawna dp.......... 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 Simmons, Alyvia rf....... 3 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 Metzler, Gina lf........ 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Urness, Austen lf/rf..... 2 1 1 0 1 0 1 0 0 Otte, Taylor pr......... 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Unzicker, Madi c......... 2 1 1 2 0 0 2 0 0 Barrow, Laura 2b......... 3 0 2 0 0 0 2 5 0 Lockman, Emily p......... 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 Totals................... 26 3 8 3 2 2 21 14 7

Score by Innings R H E ----------------------------------------- Louisville.......... 002 000 0 - 2 5 1 Nebraska............ 020 000 1 - 3 8 1 -----------------------------------------

Note: 1 out, 3 runners LOB when the game ended.

E - Jordan; Simmons(3). DP - Cardinals 1; Huskers 1. LOB - Cardinals 4; Huskers 7. HR - Unzicker(5). SH - Unzicker(1).

Louisville IP H R ER BB SO AB BF NP -------------------------------------------------- Maryssa Becker...... 6.1 8 3 3 2 2 26 29 110

Nebraska IP H R ER BB SO AB BF NP -------------------------------------------------- Lockman, Emily...... 7.0 5 2 2 2 2 25 27 97

Win - Lockman (10-4). Loss - Becker (20-11). Save - None. Pitches/strikes: Becker 110/64; Lockman 97/56. Umpires - HP: Rick Cowan 1B: Anthony Lewis 3B: Sally Keller Start: 4:31 pm Time: 2:08 Attendance: Game: NEB53