Huskers Hang On to Edge Creighton, 5-4

Nebraska  5 4 Creighton
Box Score

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

Pitching
	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO
W - McClure (9-7)	4.0	4	2	2	3	6
L - Hylton (7-12)	5.0	5	5	5	10	4
S - None	0.0	0	0	0	0	0

Individual Leaders
	AB	R	H	RBI	2B	HR
Taylor Otte	3	1	1	2	0	1
Kaylan Jablonski	3	1	1	1	0	1

Game Notes

Nebraska has won five straight games against Creighton and 11 of the last 12...Nebraska drew a season-high 10 walks...Husker pitching recorded a season-high 12 strikeouts...MJ Knighten drew a walk in the first inning to extend her streak to 14 consecutive games reaching base safely...the streak is the longest by a Husker this season...Alyvia Simmons drew three walks, tying her career high...Tristen Edwards saw her six-game hitting streak snapped, but she did draw a walk and produce an RBI...Taylor Otte slugged her second career home run and tied her career high with two RBIs.

Omaha, Neb. - The Nebraska softball team posted its fifth straight win over Creighton on Tuesday, scoring early before holding on for a 5-4 win over the Bluejays on a cold and wet night at the CU Sports Complex.

Nebraska (21-25) scored the first four runs of the game but had to withstand a two-run seventh inning from the Jays, who stranded the tying runner at second base. 

Senior right-hander Cassie McClure earned the win in relief, working around a two-run seventh-inning home run. McClure improved to 9-7 with the win, allowing two runs on four hits in 4.0 innings. Junior Kaylan Jablonski earned the start and did not allow an earned run in her 3.0 innings, but she did walk five and was charged with a pair of unearned runs. McClure and Jablonski struck out six batters each, as Nebraska recorded a season-high 12 strikeouts.

Offensively, Nebraska drew a season-high 10 walks. The Huskers were held to just five hits, but three of the hits went for extra bases, including solo home runs from Jablonski and junior Taylor Otte. Nebraska was just 1-for-14 with runners on base but benefitted from a pair of bases-loaded walks.

Michal Hylton (7-12) took the loss for Creighton, which fell to 18-25 on the season. Hylton allowed five runs on five hits in 5.0 innings, striking out four but walking 10.

Nebraska missed an early scoring chance in the top of the first inning. Sophomore Alyvia Simmons drew a leadoff walk and senior MJ Knighten walked with one out to put Huskers on first and second, but Creighton escaped the jam by turning an inning-ending double play.

In the bottom of the first, the Bluejays left the bases loaded following a one-out walk and a pair of two-out walks.

Otte then gave Nebraska a 1-0 lead in the top of the second with a one-out solo home run well past the center field fence. Junior Laura Barrow and freshman Alexis Perry then walked before Hylton recorded the second out of the inning. Simmons drew her second walk of the game and the Huskers' third walk of the inning to load the bases, before freshman Tristen Edwards drew a bases-loaded walk to bring Barrow home with Nebraska's second run. Knighten then worked the count full before putting a good swing on a changeup but lining out to the right fielder.

The Huskers added two more runs in the top of the third to stretch their lead to 4-0. Jablonski helped herself by hitting a solo home run to start the inning. Junior Austen Urness then singled and was at third base with two outs when Perry brought her home with an RBI infield single.

Creighton matched the Huskers with two runs in the bottom of the third. The Bluejays had a runner on first with two outs before back-to-back singles, and both singles got past Husker outfielders, leading to a pair of unearned runs.

In the top of the fourth, Simmons doubled, Edwards was hit by a pitch and both runners move up on a wild pitch. The duo were on second and third with one out when Jablonski was intentionally walked. Hylton then recorded a big strikeout before Otte drew a bases-loaded walk to score Simmons and push the lead to 5-2. But Nebraska missed a chance to add to its lead, leaving the bases loaded for the second time in three innings.

Creighton mounted a threat in the bottom of the sixth against McClure, using a walk and a single to put runners on first and second with one out. A fielder's choice then left Bluejays at first and third with two outs before McClure escaped the jam with a ground out.

In the bottom of the seventh, a double and a two-run home run from Anna O'Gorman cut the lead to 5-4 with one out. McClure then recorded a ground out before a walk and a wild pitch put the tying runner on second base with two outs. But McClure preserved the win with her sixth strikeout of the game.

Following the win, Nebraska hosts Northwestern in a three-game series this weekend at Bowlin Stadium in the final home games of the season.

Box Score 2017 Nebraska Softball Nebraska at Creighton Apr 25, 2017 at Omaha, Neb. (CU Sports Complex)

Nebraska 5 (21-25)

Player AB R H RBI BB SO PO A LOB ------------------------------------------------------ Alyvia Simmons cf........ 1 1 1 0 3 0 0 0 0 Tristen Edwards rf....... 2 0 0 1 1 1 0 0 1 MJ Knighten 3b........... 2 0 0 0 2 0 1 3 3 Kaylan Jablonski p/dp.... 3 1 1 1 1 0 0 0 1 Austen Urness dp......... 3 1 1 0 0 2 0 0 0 Cassie McClure p........ 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 Taylor Otte lf........... 3 1 1 2 1 0 0 0 0 Laura Barrow 2b.......... 3 1 0 0 1 2 1 2 3 Alexis Perry 1b.......... 3 0 1 1 1 0 8 2 0 Bri Cassidy c............ 2 0 0 0 0 0 10 4 1 Haley Donaldson ph...... 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Rachel Arthur ss......... 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 2 0 Totals................... 24 5 5 5 10 5 21 14 9

Creighton 4 (18-25)

Player AB R H RBI BB SO PO A LOB ------------------------------------------------------ CANTU, Ashley rf......... 3 0 1 0 0 2 2 0 1 CROWLEY, Sam rf......... 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 2 COFFIEL, Tash 3b......... 2 1 0 0 2 1 3 3 0 DELLINGER, Sam lf........ 4 1 2 0 0 2 2 0 0 O'GORMAN, Anna dp........ 3 2 2 2 1 1 0 0 0 JENKINS, Sydney pr...... 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 REINHART, Allie cf....... 3 0 1 0 1 1 0 0 1 DARO, Jen 1b............. 2 0 0 0 2 2 6 0 3 STURGEON, Jordyn c....... 3 0 0 0 1 1 5 0 1 FRY, Kristin pr......... 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 LEWIS, Jessica ss........ 2 0 0 0 0 1 1 2 0 MCGILL, Jayci ph........ 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 MCCOY, Aujanae 2b........ 2 0 0 0 1 1 1 2 0 HYLTON, Michal p......... 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 CLARK, Bryana p......... 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Totals................... 26 4 7 2 8 12 21 8 9

Score by Innings R H E ----------------------------------------- Nebraska............ 022 100 0 - 5 5 2 Creighton........... 002 000 2 - 4 7 0 -----------------------------------------

E - Simmons(3); Otte(2). DP - Bluejays 2. LOB - Huskers 9; Bluejays 9. 2B - Simmons(16); DELLINGER. HR - Jablonski(5); Otte(2); O'GORMAN. HBP - Edwards.

Nebraska IP H R ER BB SO AB BF NP -------------------------------------------------- Kaylan Jablonski.... 3.0 3 2 0 5 6 10 15 81 Cassie McClure...... 4.0 4 2 2 3 6 16 19 77

Creighton IP H R ER BB SO AB BF NP -------------------------------------------------- HYLTON, Michal...... 5.0 5 5 5 10 4 19 30 138 CLARK, Bryana....... 2.0 0 0 0 0 1 5 5 25

Win - McClure (9-7). Loss - HYLTON (7-12). Save - None. WP - McClure(3); HYLTON. HBP - by HYLTON (Edwards). Pitches/strikes: Jablonski 81/53; McClure 77/47; HYLTON 138/69; CLARK 25/16. Umpires - HP: LaWayne Rogers 1B: Jim Bewley 3B: Matt Titkemeier Start: 6:04 pm Time: 2:52 Attendance: HYLTON faced 1 batter in the 6th. Game: NEB46