Bahl Knocks Two Homers in Huskers’ 10-2 Regional Win

Jordyn Bahl hit two home runs and tossed 3.0 hitless innings, and the No. 19 Nebraska softball team downed the UConn Huskies, 10-2, in six innings in the regional round of the NCAA Tournament in Baton Rouge on Friday. 

Bahl was 2-for-2 on the day with her two home runs, two walks and five RBIs, which put her at 21 home runs on the season and made her the fourth ever NCAA player to have 20+ wins in the circle and 20+ home runs at the plate in the same season. She also became the second Husker ever to record 60+ hits, runs and RBIs in a season. 

Ava Kuszak, Abbie Squier and Ava Bredwell all added two hits on the day, Olivia DiNardo added two RBIs and Bella Bacon contributed two runs.

Kylee Magee (8-4) grabbed the win in the circle after pitching 3.0 innings of relief and allowing two runs. Payton Kinney (15-6) took the loss for UConn. 

The Huskers moved to 40-13 on the season, while the Huskies fell to 35-18. 

After leaving the bases loaded in the bottom of the first, NU loaded the bases again in the bottom of the second, as Bacon walked, Bredwell singled and Lauren Camenzind was hit by a pitch. Bahl walked to send Bacon across the plate and Bredwell scored on a Kuszak groundout. DiNardo singled to score L. Camenzind and Bahl, and DiNardo went to second on a throwing error. NU led 4-0 going into the third.

Squier hit a leadoff single to open the bottom of the third. Bacon was hit by a pitch and Katelyn Caneda pinch ran for her. Bahl knocked a three-run homer, her 20th of the season, to send Squier and Caneda home and extend the lead to 7-0. 

UConn got on the board in the top of the fourth with a two-run home run.

Bahl hit a solo homer, her second home run of the day, to make the score 8-2. 

Squier reached on an infield single, Bacon walked and Squier scored on a Bredwell single to stretch the lead to 9-2 in the bottom of the sixth. Bacon crossed the plate on a wild pitch to lock up the 10-2, six-inning win. 

On Saturday, Nebraska will face the winner of the LSU-Southeastern Louisiana game from Friday night.

Postgame Notes

• With its four-run second inning, NU has now scored 4+ runs in 41 innings this season.
• Nebraska’s 10 runs tied for its highest-scoring NCAA Tournament opener in program history. NU also scored 10 in its opener against Arizona State in 1997.
• The Big Red has now hit 100 home runs on the season and is the fourth Big Ten team in history to homer 100 times in a season.
• With the win, the Huskers reached 40+ wins for the first time since 2022 and the second since 2014. 
• NU is now 66-56 in the NCAA Tournament and 56-39 in the regional round.
• Nebraska has 24 run-rule wins on the season, which is the most in school history.
• Jordyn Bahl became the second Husker ever and first since MJ Knighten in 2016 to have 60+ hits, runs and RBIs in a single season. 
• Bahl now has 21 home runs and 23 wins this season, making her the fourth ever NCAA player to have 20+ wins in the circle and 20+ home runs at the plate in the same season. 
• Bahl has three multi-homer games on the season. 
• Bahl matched her career high with five RBIs on the day.
• Ava Kuszak’s single in the fourth inning put her at a 12-game hit streak.