Huskers Drop First Game of Doubleheader

The Nebraska softball team dropped game one of Sunday’s doubleheader at Iowa by a score of 6-1. The Huskers will look to salvage a doubleheader and series split in game two, the final game of the four-game weekend series.
 
Nebraska’s offense was stymied by Iowa ace Allison Doocy, the reigning Big Ten Pitcher of the Week. Doocy (10-4) tossed a four-hitter with 11 strikeouts and allowed one run, snapping her streak of two consecutive shutouts. Her performance helped Iowa improve to 22-17 on the year.
 
Freshman Kaylin Kinney took the loss for Nebraska (21-18). Kinney (1-2) allowed six runs in 2.2 innings, and she walked five and hit one batter. Junior Courtney Wallace pitched the final 3.1 innings, and she did not allow a run to stretch her streak to 18.0 consecutive scoreless innings.

Offensively, junior Payton Huscroft was 1-for-2 with a single and a walk and Wallace finished 1-for-3 with an RBI. Senior Cam Ybarra and freshman Billie Andrews also singled for the Big Red.

 

Iowa jumped out a 5-0 lead in the bottom of the second inning despite hitting only two balls out of the infield. The Hawkeyes loaded the bases with one out on a bunt single, a single up the middle and a walk. Kinney recorded the second out with a strikeout but she did not get the benefit of a couple close pitches to the next batter, issuing a five-pitch walk to force in the game’s first run. A wild pitch then gave Iowa a 2-0 lead, although Nebraska had a chance to end the inning as the throw back to the plate after the wild pitch was in plenty of time to get the runner, but Kinney could not handle the throw. Kinney walked the next batter to re-load the bases, although her 3-2 pitch that was ruled ball four appeared to be in the strike zone. Iowa then put its first ball in play in five batters, but it was a big one as Denali Loecker cleared the bases with a three-run double that capped the five-run inning.

Nebraska’s first scoring chance in the game came when Huscroft drew a walk to begin the top of the third inning. Following a strikeout, Billie Andrews hit a sharp line drive directly at the right fielder. Kinney then lined a one-hopper to right, but she hit it so hard the right fielder fielded the ball and threw Kinney out at first base.

 

Iowa then added another run in the bottom of the third. The Hawkeyes loaded the bases on a pair of walks and a hit batter and scored a run on a two-out RBI single. Trailing 6-0, Nebraska called on Wallace out of the bullpen and she stranded the bases loaded by getting an inning-ending fly out on her first pitch.

Nebraska finally broke through against Doocy for the first time int he series in the top of the sixth. Billie Andrews led off with a single and Kinney then reached on an error to put Huskers on first and second. After a fly out, Wallace produced an RBI single up the middle. Trailing 6-1, junior Peyton Glatter was hit by a pitch to load the bases with only one out, but Doocy struck out the next two batters to prevent further damage.

Wallace worked out of a two-out bases loaded jam in the bottom of the sixth, but the Huskers were retired in order in the seventh, as Doocy closed out her 10th win of the season.