Urness' Walk-Off Homer Powers NU to 2-1 Win

Nebraska  2 1 Penn St.
Box Score

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

Pitching
	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO
W - K. Jablonski (9-11)	8.0	5	1	1	0	5
L - M. Laubach (8-1)	7.1	6	2	1	2	1
S - None	0.0	0	0	0	0	0

Individual Leaders
	AB	R	H	RBI	2B	HR
Austen Urness	4	1	4	1	0	1
Alyvia Simmons	4	0	1	0	1	0

Game Notes

The Huskers played their third extra-inning game of the season and improved to 3-0 in such games...Nebraska has won nine of its last 11 games...the Huskers won their first home conference game of the season...Austen Urness' eighth-inning walk-off home run was the first walk-off homer by Nebraska this season and the first by a Husker since May 7, 2016 vs. Wisconsin...Urness finished 4-for-4, producing her first career four-hit game...Kaylan Jablonski threw a season-high 8.0 innings and did not issue a walk for the first time in 19 starts this season.

Lincoln, Neb. - Junior Austen Urness hit a walk-off home run with one out in the bottom of the eighth inning to lead the Nebraska softball team to a 2-1 series-opening victory over Penn State Friday night at Bowlin Stadium.

Urness' homer - her second of the season - helped Nebraska overcome an offensive night where the Huskers were 0-for-10 with runners in scoring position and 0-for-14 with runners on base. Urness went 4-for-4 in the win, producing a career-high four hits and totaling four of Nebraska's six hits in the game.

The walk-off shot made a winner of junior right-hander Kaylan Jablonski, who tossed one of the best games of her career. In a complete-game effort, Jablonski (9-11) allowed only five hits and one run while adding five strikeouts with no walks.

Led by Urness and Jablonski, Nebraska improved to 17-22 overall and moved to 7-5 in Big Ten Conference play. Penn State fell to 16-23 overall and 4-8 in conference action. Marlaina Laubach (8-7) was the hard-luck loser, as she allowed only two runs (one earned) in 7.1 innings.

Nebraska threatened throughout the game but struggled to come up with the clutch hit. After squandering a leadoff double in the bottom of the first, the Huskers threatened in the bottom of the second inning after Urness singled down the right field line and junior Laura Barrow walked. Junior Taylor Otte's sacrifice bunt put runners at second and third with one out, but Laubach pitched the Nittany Lions out of trouble by retiring the next two batters. 

After retiring the first 10 hitters, Jablonski gave up two one-out singles in the fifth inning but escaped the jam with a double play. 

In the bottom of the fourth inning, NU again had a runner in scoring position after Urness singled and Barrow reached on an error. With two outs, junior Gina Metzler hit a line drive to left but Penn State's Tori Dubois saved a run from scoring with a diving catch for the final out.

After the Huskers missed several scoring chances, Penn State was the first to score in the top of the fifth. Kristina Brackpool led off with a single and then stole second. She advanced to third on an error and scored off Gianna Arrizurieta's sacrifice squeeze bunt.

Trailing 1-0, Nebraska answered back to tie the game in the bottom of the frame. The scoring effort started with a single by freshman Alexis Perry. Sophomore Alyvia Simmons then reached on an error and with runners on first and third and no outs, senior MJ Knighted plated freshman pinch runner Bree Boruff with a sacrifice fly to tie the game.

The game stayed tied and went into extra innings. Jablonski retired the side in order in the top of the eighth before Urness lined the first pitch she saw over the fence in left center.

Nebraska and Penn State face off again tomorrow at Bowlin Stadium for the second game of the three-game series. First pitch is set for 3 p.m. and fans with a ticket to the Red-White Spring Football game can get into the softball game for free by presenting their ticket to the Bowlin Stadium ticket window.

Box Score 2017 Nebraska Softball Penn State at Nebraska Apr 14, 2017 at Lincoln, Neb. (Bowlin Stadium)

Penn State 1 (16-23,4-8 Big Ten)

Player AB R H RBI BB SO PO A LOB ------------------------------------------------------ Rebecca Ziegler cf....... 4 0 0 0 0 1 7 0 0 Toni Polk ss/dp.......... 3 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 Tori Dubois lf........... 3 0 2 0 0 0 4 0 0 Shelby Miller 3b......... 3 0 0 0 0 1 2 2 2 Kristina Brackpool 1b.... 3 1 1 0 0 0 6 0 0 Mollie Sorenson rf/2b.... 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 Gianna Arrizurieta 2b/ss. 2 0 1 1 0 0 2 2 0 Delaney Elling dp........ 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Sam Shanahan rf......... 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Jessica Haug rf......... 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Mia Monopoli c........... 3 0 0 0 0 2 1 0 1 Marlaina Laubach p....... 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 Totals................... 27 1 5 1 0 5 22 6 3

Nebraska 2 (17-22,7-5 Big Ten)

Player AB R H RBI BB SO PO A LOB ------------------------------------------------------ Alyvia Simmons cf........ 4 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 MJ Knighten 3b........... 2 0 0 1 1 0 1 3 0 Tristen Edwards rf....... 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 Kaylan Jablonski p....... 4 0 0 0 0 0 1 4 2 Austen Urness c.......... 4 1 4 1 0 0 5 2 0 Laura Barrow 2b.......... 1 0 0 0 1 0 2 2 0 Taylor Otte lf........... 2 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 Gina Metzler dp.......... 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 Alexis Perry 1b.......... 3 0 1 0 0 0 14 0 2 Bree Boruff pr.......... 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Rachel Arthur ss......... 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 4 0 Totals................... 27 2 6 2 2 1 24 15 8

Score by Innings R H E ------------------------------------------ Penn State.......... 000 010 00 - 1 5 3 Nebraska............ 000 010 01 - 2 6 1 ------------------------------------------

Note: 1 out, 0 runners LOB when the game ended.

E - Polk 2(25); Arrizurieta(2); Arthur(4). DP - Nittany Lion 1; Huskers 1. LOB - Nittany Lion 3; Huskers 8. 2B - Dubois(5); Simmons(11). HR - Urness(2). SH - Arrizurieta(2); Barrow(5); Otte(2). SF - Knighten(2). SB - Brackpool(3); Simmons(5). CS - Arrizurieta(1).

Penn State IP H R ER BB SO AB BF NP -------------------------------------------------- Marlaina Laubach.... 7.1 6 2 1 2 1 27 32 96

Nebraska IP H R ER BB SO AB BF NP -------------------------------------------------- Kaylan Jablonski.... 8.0 5 1 1 0 5 27 28 97

Win - Jablonski (9-11). Loss - Laubach (8-7). Save - None. WP - Jablonski(9). Pitches/strikes: Laubach 96/61; Jablonski 97/70. Umpires - HP: Chad Spitler 1B: Matt Jacks 3B: Rich Cowan Start: 5:31 pm Time: 1:42 Attendance: 748 Game: NEB39