Iowa City, Iowa – The Nebraska softball team (17-27, 5-11 Big Ten) topped Iowa (17-25, 3-13 Big Ten) on Wednesday in game one of a doubleheader by a score of 7-5.

Regan Mergele improved to 3-6 on the season. She pitched 3.0 scoreless innings of relief and gave up just two hits. Courtney Wallace started the game for Nebraska. She pitched 4.0 innings and gave up five runs – four unearned – on four hits. Wallace also had three strikeouts and three walks.

Iowa’s Sarah Lehman (1-5) pitched 5.2 innings. She gave up six runs on five hits and had eight strikeouts.

Nebraska had six hits. Alyvia Simmons led the Huskers going 2-for-4 with an RBI and a run. Tristen Edwards had a three-run homer, while Samantha Owen, Bri Cassidy and Lexey Kneib each had one hit.

After two quiet innings for both teams, the Huskers got rolling in the third. Madi Unzicker drew a walk and Simmons singled to put a pair of runners on. After a double steal, Edwards homered to give Nebraska a 3-0 lead. Iowa responded in the bottom of the inning scoring one run on one hit.

The Huskers extended their lead in the fourth. Cassidy drew a walk and Kneib doubled to score her. In the bottom of the inning, the Hawkeyes took a 5-4 lead, scoring four unearned runs off three hits and two Husker errors.

Nebraska went up 6-5 in the sixth to regain the lead. Wallace drew a leadoff walk and advanced to second on a ground out. Then Cassidy singled to score her and tie the game at 5-5. Cassidy also reached second on the play after an Iowa fielding error. Anni Raley pinch ran for Cassidy and Madi Unzicker was hit by a pitch to put another runner on base. Simmons singled up the middle to score Raley and Edwards was intentionally walked to load the bases with two outs. However, Iowa avoided giving up any more runs by getting a strikeout and leaving three Huskers on base.

In the seventh, the Huskers added an insurance run. Owen hit a leadoff single and Sarah Yocom pinch ran for her. Yocom stole second and Boruff reached on a Hawkeye error. With one out and runners on the corners, Cassidy drew a walk to load the bases. A strikeout gave Iowa its second out of the inning, but Madi Unzicker drew a walk to score Yocom and extend the lead to 7-5.