Husker Season Ends in Regional Final Loss

NEBRASKA  0 9 missouri
Box Score

Inning-by-Inning
Team	1	2	3	4	5		R	H	E
Missouri	6	0	0	3	0		9	11	0
Nebraska	0	0	0	0	0		0	3	1

Pitching
	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO
W - Lowary (25-6)	5.0	3	0	0	0	2
L - McClure (17-11)	0.2	5	6	6	2	1
S - None	0.0	0	0	0	0	0

Individual Leaders
	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	HR
Alicia Armstrong	2	0	1	0	0	0
Mattie Fowler	2	0	0	0	0	0

Game Notes

Nebraska ended its season with a 35-21 record, marking its fourth straight season with at least 35 wins...the loss marked the final game for seniors Alicia Armstrong, Mattie Fowler, Emily Lockman, Kiki Stokes and Dawna Tyson...the Husker seniors ended their careers with a 159-78 record, including a 12-10 record in the NCAA Tournament...the group led Nebraska to two NCAA Regional titles (2013 & 2014), the program's first NCAA Super Regional appearance (2013) and the Huskers' seventh trip to the Women's College World Series (2013)...Nebraska fell to 62-51 all-time in the NCAA Tournament...Cassie McClure allowed a run for the first time in her three career NCAA Tournament appearances...

Columbia, Mo. - The Nebraska softball team saw its 2016 season come to an end Saturday, as the Huskers fell to 15th-seeded Missouri, 9-0 in five innings in the championship game of the NCAA Columbia (Mo.) Regional.

The Tigers were the visiting team on the scoreboard and used the opportunity to bat first to sprint out to a 6-0 lead after one-half inning of play. That proved to be plenty of support for ace lefty Paige Lowary, who earned her third victory of the regional. Lowary (25-6) tossed a three-hit shutout against Nebraska, her third shutout of the regional.

Missouri, which outscored its opponents 26-0 while winning all three regional games in run-rule fashion, advances to face the winner of the Ann Arbor Regional next weekend. Nebraska saw its season end with a 35-21 record. The Huskers posted 35 victories for the fourth consecutive season and advanced to an NCAA Regional final for the third time in the past four seasons.

Cassie McClure took the loss for Nebraska, finishing her junior season with a 17-11 record. McClure ran into a buzz saw in the first inning, as Missouri tagged her for six runs on five hits in only two-thirds of an inning.

In the top of the first, Missouri flashed its speed with a pair of infield singles and two stolen bases to put runners at second and third with no out. Sami Fagan then lined an RBI double to the gap in right center to give the Tigers a 2-0 lead three batters into the game. The speed show continued with another infield single and a double steal that resulted in a steal of home and a third run in the inning. Missouri then showcased its power, as Kirsten Mack lined a three-run homer down the left field line to mark the end of the game for McClure.

Senior right-hander Emily Lockman relieved McClure and got Nebraska out of the first inning without any further damage. Lockman then shut out Missouri in the second and third innings before a pair of hits, a Husker error and a sacrifice fly stretched the Tigers' lead to 9-0 after the top of the fourth inning. Lockman tossed the final 4.1 innings, allowing three runs (two earned).

Offensively, Nebraska received a one-out single from senior Alicia Armstrong in the bottom of the second inning before stranding a pair of runners. The Huskers also got leadoff singles from sophomore Laura Barrow in the third inning and senior Mattie Fowler in the fourth, but both times failed to advance the runner.

The Huskers' season ended when Lowary retired Nebraska in order in the bottom of the fifth to wrap up her third straight shutout.

 

Box Score

 

2016 Nebraska Softball #17 Missouri at Nebraska May 21, 2016 at Columbia, Mo. (University Field)

Missouri 9 (42-14)

Player AB R H RBI BB SO PO A LOB ------------------------------------------------------ Taylor Gadbois cf........ 4 2 3 0 0 0 4 0 1 Emily Crane rf........... 2 2 1 0 1 1 2 0 2 Sami Fagan ss............ 3 2 2 4 0 0 0 3 0 Amanda Sanchez 3b........ 2 0 1 1 0 0 1 1 0 Chloe Rathburn dp........ 3 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 Regan Nash lf............ 3 1 1 0 0 0 1 0 1 Kolby Romaine 2b......... 2 1 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 Sydney Sprague pr....... 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Kirsten Mack c........... 3 1 2 3 0 0 2 0 0 Raime Cohen pr.......... 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Rylee Pierce 1b.......... 1 0 0 0 1 1 5 0 0 Natalie Fleming ph...... 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Paige Lowary p........... 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Totals................... 24 9 11 8 3 3 15 4 4

Nebraska 0 (35-21)

Player AB R H RBI BB SO PO A LOB ------------------------------------------------------ Stokes, Kiki cf.......... 3 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 Knighten, MJ 3b.......... 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 Tyson, Dawna dp.......... 2 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 Fowler, Mattie 1b........ 2 0 1 0 0 0 4 0 0 Sjulin, Lotte pr........ 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Armstrong, Alicia ss..... 2 0 1 0 0 0 1 1 0 McClure, Cassie p........ 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Unzicker, Madi c........ 2 0 0 0 0 0 2 1 0 Urness, Austen rf........ 1 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 1 Metzler, Gina lf......... 1 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 2 Jablonski, Kaylan ph.... 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 Barrow, Laura 2b......... 2 0 1 0 0 0 1 2 0 Cassidy, Bri c........... 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 Lockman, Emily p........ 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Totals................... 18 0 3 0 0 2 15 5 4

Score by Innings R H E -------------------------------------- Missouri............ 600 30 - 9 11 0 Nebraska............ 000 00 - 0 3 1 --------------------------------------

E - Knighten(13). LOB - Tigers 4; Huskers 4. 2B - Fagan; Sanchez. HR - Mack. HBP - Urness. SF - Sanchez. SB - Gadbois; Crane; Fagan; Nash. CS - Cohen.

Missouri IP H R ER BB SO AB BF NP -------------------------------------------------- Paige Lowary........ 5.0 3 0 0 0 2 18 19 86

Nebraska IP H R ER BB SO AB BF NP -------------------------------------------------- McClure, Cassie..... 0.2 5 6 6 2 1 7 9 38 Lockman, Emily...... 4.1 6 3 2 1 2 17 19 70

Win - Lowary (25-6). Loss - McClure (17-11). Save - None. HBP - by Lowary (Urness). Pitches/strikes: Lowary 86/58; McClure 38/20; Lockman 70/41. Umpires - HP: Sally Keller 1B: Rick Cowan 3B: Joe Havenhill Start: 1:31 pm Time: 1:49 Attendance: Game: NEB56