Courtesy Nebraska Athletics
The No. 9 Nebraska softball team rebounded from a heartbreaking 2-1 loss in 11 innings to No. 21 Oklahoma State Thursday to hammer South Dakota State, 8-1, and Tulsa, 9-1 in a game shortened to six innings by the mercy rule, Friday in Tulsa, Okla. The Cornhuskers (12-5) have won nine of their last 10 games heading into back-to-back matchups with the Cowgirls to end the weekend.
Against the Jackrabbits (12-6), Nebraska took a 1-0 lead when Jesse Farrell scored on a wild pitch. Then in the top of fourth, Jordy Frahm hit a two-out solo home run to left to push the lead to 2-0. Hannah Camenzind and Jesse Farrell followed with singles, then Ava Kuszak doubled to left to drive two runs in. After Kacey Hoffmann drew a walk, a wild pitch moved Kuszak to third and Hoffmann to second. Emmerson Cope followed with a two-run single to left, pushing the lead to 6-0. Hannah Coor followed with a two-run homer to right-center, boosting the NU lead to eight. An RBI single by Amanda Vacanti in the bottom of the fourth drove in Akayla Barnard, who tripled, and cut NU’s lead to seven.
Hannah Camenzind (4-0) earned the win, throwing four innings and allowing two hits and one run. Kylee Magee came out of the bullpen to earn her first save, allowing just one hit and a walk while throwing three shutout innings.
Then against the Golden Hurricane (6-10), the Huskers wasted no time jumping out to a lead. Frahm hit a leadoff double to center to start the game. With two outs, Kuszak singled to left to score Frahm and put Nebraska on the board. Then in the second, Hoffmann led off the inning with a home run to left to push the lead to 2-0, NU. Claira Skaggs led off the bottom of the second with a home run to center to cut the lead to 2-1.
But then in the sixth, the Huskers blew the game wide open. Hoffmann started the inning with a walk. Coor bunted Hoffmann’s pinch runner, Katelyn Caneda, to second. Alexis Jensen was then hit by a pitch, putting two on with one out. Lauren Camenzind singled to left, scoring Caneda to make it 3-1. Frahm followed with a walk to load the bases. Hannah Camenzind drove a two-run double to left, pushing the lead to 5-1. Farrell followed with an RBI single to make it 6-1. With Dakota Carter running for Farrell at first and Hannah Camenzind at third, Nebraska executed a double steal, with Camenzind stealing home to push the advantage to 7-1. Then Samantha Bland, making her first plate appearance in two weeks after suffering a shoulder injury, drove a two-run home run to center to push the lead to 9-1. Jensen finished the game with three straight strikeouts to clinch the mercy-rule win, the Huskers’ fourth in the last seven games.
Jensen (6-2) earned the win, striking out 10 with no walks while allowing just two hits and one run in six innings. Every Nebraska starter contributed at least a hit against Tulsa. Frahm was 2-for-2 with two walks to pace the Huskers’ offense.
Nebraska now prepares to take on No. 21 Oklahoma State Saturday in Stillwater, Okla. First pitch is slated for 2 p.m.