Shortstop Ava Kuszak tied Nebraska’s school record with three home runs in a game as the No. 18 Husker softball team thrashed Montana, 16-3, in a game shortened to five innings by the mercy rule. The win capped a dominant weekend for Nebraska in which it won five games, all by the eight-run mercy rule, by a combined score of 69-9 in just 27 innings of softball.
Kuszak’s home-run derby was part of a larger power surge by Nebraska. The Huskers hit a combined 20 home runs for the weekend, and NU scored 10 or more runs in five straight games for the first time in school history.
Nebraska took the lead in the first. After getting out of a bases loaded jam without giving up a run in the top of the first, Kuszak led off the bottom of the first with a homer to right-center. Jordy Bahl followed with a triple to left-center, then scored on an Olivia DiNardo ground out to make it 2-0, Huskers. The Grizzlies scored three in the top of the second to take a short-lived 3-2 lead, but Nebraska wasted no time responding. Abbie Squier singled to center ahead of Kuszak, who crushed a two-run homer to center to give NU the lead, 4-3.
The Cornhuskers removed all drama from the game in the bottom of the third. With the bases loaded, Hannah Camenzind singled through the right side, driving in two. After Squier walked to reload the bases, Kuszak hit a two-run single up the middle to push the lead to 8-3. Bahl followed with an RBI single to drive the lead to 9-3. After a walk to Emmerson Cope to reload the bases, Kacie Hoffman hit a two-run double Lauren Camenzind capped the nine-run inning with an RBI single that boosted the lead to 13-3.
For good measure in the fourth, Kuszak hit her third home run of the game, this time to left field, tying the school record for home runs in a game set on April 18, 1998 against Missouri by Christi McCoy and equalled by Kaylan Jablonski against Cal State-Fullerton on March 17, 2018. Bahl followed with her fourth hit of the game, a double down the left-field line. Bahl advanced to third on a throwing error by the left fielder and scored on a throwing error by the first baseman. Nebraska tacked on a third run in the inning to push the lead to 16-3.
Cope earned the win in relief for Nebraska, pitching two two-hit, shutout innings with two strikeouts. Kuszak was 4-for-4 at the plate with three home runs and six RBI, while Bahl also had four hits, three for extra bases, while driving in one run.
The Huskers now prepare for the Mary Nutter Classic, the toughest non-conference tournament in college softball. Nebraska will face No. 20 Baylor Thursday at 4:30 p.m., then take on No. 4 UCLA Thursday at 9:30 p.m.