Huskers Drop Game One of Doubleheader

The Nebraska softball team could not keep pace with the Northwestern offense in game one of Saturday’s doubleheader, as the Wildcats used clutch hitting to claim a 9-1 six-inning victory.
 
Nebraska was just 1-for-14 with runners on base in the game and only 1-for-8 with runners in scoring position. Meanwhile seven of Northwestern’s 11 hits came with runners on base, including six hits with runners in scoring position.
 
Lauren Boyd (4-3) earned the win for the Wildcats, who improved to 28-14 on the season. Boyd tossed the first 4.0 innings and gave up only one run on four hits. 
 
Senior right-hander Olivia Ferrell (10-11) took the loss for Nebraska (21-21). Ferrell allowed seven runs in 3.0 innings. She struck out six in her 3.0 innings but tied her career high with seven walks. Freshman right-hander Kaylin Kinney pitched the final 2.2 innings, allowing two runs on five hits.
 
Offensively, freshman Billie Andrews drove in Nebraska’s lone run with an RBI single. Senior Tristen Edwards singled, walked and was hit by a pitch, sophomore Brooke Andrews singled and walked twice and Ferrell produced Nebraska’s fourth hit.
 
After Nebraska stranded a runner in scoring position in each of the first two innings, Northwestern used a leadoff triple to take the lead in the bottom of the second. A walk and a stolen base followed the triple, as the Wildcats had runners on second and third with no outs. Ferrell struck out the next batter but Nikki Cuchran lined a two-run single to right to give Northwestern a 2-0 lead. The Wildcats loaded the bases with two outs before Ferrell – facing a tight strike zone – walked her third batter of the inning to force in a run on a close 3-2 pitch.
 
Ferrell then led off the top of third with a single before Edwards was hit by the first pitch she saw. Senior Rylie Unzicker moved Edwards to second base and senior pinch runner Sarah Yocom to third with a ground out before senior Cam Ybarra walked to load the bases. After a strikeout, Billie Andrews reached on an infield single to score Yocom with Nebraska’s first run. Trailing 5-1 with the bases still loaded, Nebraska had to settle for just the one run as freshman Abbie Squier lined out to the warning track in right field to end the inning.
 
Nebraska ran into some bad luck in the bottom of the inning – some of it self-inflicted – as Northwestern answered the Huskers’ run with two runs of its own. With two outs and a runner on first, a fly ball to left center fell for an RBI double after there was some confusion on who would make the catch for Nebraska. A walk put runners on first and second before Nebraska certainly appeared to get the final out on a force out at third base, but the umpire ruled the runner safe to load the bases. Ferrell’s career-high-tying seventh walk forced in another run as Northwestern stretched its lead to 7-1.
 
Northwestern pushed the lead to 8-1 with a two-out RBI single off Kinney in the bottom of the fifth inning.

The Wildcats then ended the game early with a two-out, RBI double in the bottom of the sixth inning.