Caitlynn Neal delivered a one-out walk-off double to lift the Nebraska softball team (10-6) to a 3-2 win over Weber State (5-10) on Friday afternoon.
Courtney Wallace went the distance, pitching the complete game and moving to 6-3 on the season. Wallace held the Wildcats to four hits while striking out four. Mandy Johnson (5-4) recorded the loss, pitching the complete game for Weber State, giving up eight hits and three runs.
Along with Neal’s RBI double in the bottom of the seventh, Billie Andrews and Sydney Gray each added RBIs of their own, while eight of the Huskers in the lineup recorded hits.
Gianna Memoli led the Wildcat offense, finishing 2-for-2 on the day.
Weber State threatened early in the first. A walk put the lead off runner on, but she got out after a fielder’s choice. With one on, a ground out advanced the runner to second. A walk added a second base runner, but Wallace struck out the next batter to get out of the inning.
Ava Bredwell was the first to record a hit on the day with a single through the left side, but NU was unable to capitalize, going scoreless in the first inning.
The Huskers reached scoring position in the bottom of the second. Katelyn Caneda led off, reaching first after being hit by a pitch. Gray added a single through the left side. With one out, Squier grounded out to the pitcher, advancing the runners to second and third, but a strikeout stranded two runners and the score remained 0-0.
The Wildcats had a runner reach third with two outs in the top of the fourth. Emily Ruhl was walked and Taegan Smith came in to pinch run. Smith stole second and advanced to third on a passed ball, but Wallace worked out of the inning, holding the score at 0-0 through four innings.
A single from Mika Chong put Weber State ahead 1-0 in the fifth inning. After a single and a walk, Chong’s single through the right side brought in the first run of the day. The Wildcats went ahead, 1-0.
The Big Red responded in the bottom of the fifth. Wallace doubled to center field to lead off the inning. A fly out from Squier advanced Wallace to third. With two outs, Billie Andrews singled to second, scoring Wallace, and tying the game at 1-1.
Nebraska added another run in the sixth. Bredwell was hit by a pitch followed by a single from Mya Felder. Caneda grounded out, moving runners to second and third. A sacrifice fly from Gray scored Bredwell, giving the Huskers the 2-1 lead.
The Wildcats tied the game at 2-2 in the seventh. Gianna Memoli led off with a double to left center. A sacrifice bunt moved Memoli to third. Faith Hoe flied out to left field, scoring Memoli. With two outs, Wallace recorded her fourth strikeout of the game to get out of the inning.
The Huskers secured the victory in walk-off fashion in the bottom of the seventh. Squier led off with an infield single. Brooke Andrews reached on a fielder’s choice and Squier was able to beat the throw at second, putting runners at first and second with no outs. Billie Andrews flied out to center field, but Neal followed it with a one-out double down the right field line, scoring Squier, and securing the 3-2 win.
The Huskers return to action to face TAMU – Commerce at approximately 2 p.m. (CT). Fans can listen to the action live on Huskers Radio Network and Huskers.com with the call from Nate Rohr and Mattie Fowler Burkhardt. The game will also be streamed FloSoftball (subscription required).
Game Notes
Today’s walk-off victory marks the first in walk-off fashion this season, and the first since Nebraska beat Indiana, 5-4, on May 8, 2022 in eight innings.
Cailtyn Neal’s walk-off double marked her fourth-straight game with a hit.
Ava Bredwell’s single in the first inning marked her fourth-straight game with a hit.
Mya Felder’s single in the bottom of the sixth marked her fourth-straight game with a hit.
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