240209 - vs Duke 1240209 - vs Duke 1
Softball

No. 11 Duke Tops No. 18 Nebraska

Jala Wright tossed a one-hitter to pitch No. 11 Duke to a 6-1 victory over the 18th-ranked Nebraska softball team in the first of two games Friday at the Puerto Vallarta College Challenge in Mexico.

Wright (1-0) retired the first 18 batters she faced, taking a perfect game into the final inning before Billie Andrews produced Nebraska's first run of the season with a leadoff home run in the bottom of the seventh. Wright finished the game allowing only one Husker to reach base while striking out eight.

Nebraska senior right-hander Kaylin Kinney, who was making her first appearance in the circle in nearly one year, took the loss. Kinney (0-1) allowed five runs (three earned) in 5.0 innings against a Duke lineup that ranked 23rd nationally in scoring last year and put up 16 runs in a win over Iowa State earlier Friday. Freshman left-hander Caitlin Olensky pitched the final 2.0 innings and allowed only one run.

In the top of the first, Kinney struck out the leadoff batter before issuing a walk and a hit batter. She retired the next hitter but a two-out, two-run double off the fence in right gave Duke a 2-0 lead.

An error and some bad luck contributed to Duke stretching its lead to 3-0 in the top of the third. After an error extended the inning, the Blue Devils had the bases loaded with two outs. Kinney then coaxed a ground ball that Sydney Gray was in position to field, but the ball hit the third-base bag and bounced into the outfield for an RBI single.

Duke added two more runs in the top of the fourth to stretch its lead to 5-0. A leadoff single, a stolen base and a ground out put a Blue Devil on third base with one out. A fly ball to deep left then popped out of the glove of the Husker outfielder, with the runner on third scoring and the batter advancing to second. A single and a successful squeeze bunt accounted for the second run of the inning.

The Blue Devils made it 6-0 when Jada Baker greeted Olensky with a leadoff home run in the top of the fifth.

Billie Andrews broke up the perfect game when she launched a solo home run to left to lead off the bottom of the seventh. But Wright retired the next three hitters to move Duke to 2-1 on the season.

Nebraska (0-2) continues play on Friday with a second game against Long Beach State.

Post-Game Notes

  • Senior Kaylin Kinney started in the circle for the Big Red. It marked her first start since Feb. 25 of last season, as Kinney missed the final three months of the 2023 season due to injury.
  • Freshman Emmerson Cope started as the designated player, marking her first career start.
  • Making their season debuts for the Huskers were Alina Felix, Ashley Smetter and Haidyn Werner.
  • Billie Andrews hit the Huskers' first home run of the season. The home run was the 44th of her career (6th in Nebraska history).