Freshmen Lift Huskers to 1,000th Win

<?xml:namespace prefix="st1" ns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags"?>Tallahassee, Fla. ? On a historic day for the No. 15 Nebraska softball team, a pair of freshmen powered the Huskers to the 1,000th win in program history. Right-hander Molly Hill tossed a two-hit shutout with a career-high 11 strikeouts, while Crystal Carwile hit a two-out, two-strike solo homer in the bottom of the sixth in a 1-0 victory over Kent State in the consolation championship game at the Florida State Invitational.<?xml:namespace prefix="o" ns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office"?>

 

The win gave Nebraska a 4-2 mark at the tournament and a 16-4 record overall, and was the 1,000th victory in the 31-year history of Nebraska softball, making the program the first woman’s sport at Nebraska to reach the 1,000-win plateau.

 

“It's really an honor to be the first female sport at Nebraska to achieve that, especially with the rich tradition in our athletic department," Head Coach and Senior Women's Administrator Rhonda Revelle said. "We're proud of that and I know that (Associate Head) Coach (Lori) Sippel and I feel very proud of that since we're Huskers through-and-through. We take it very personally and hopefully the next 1,000 wins don't take 31 years."

 

The historic victory was also the Huskers' second of the day, as NU blanked Bradley, 3-0, in the first game. With a 16-4 record through the first 20 games of the season, the 2006 squad has tied the 2003 team for the best 20-game start in school history.

 

Revelle was pleased with the day and how the Huskers responded after losing a 1-0 lead to Indiana on Saturday night.

 

"We couldn't have scripted a better game to end this tournament on because it was so identical to what happened in the Indiana game and we watned a chance to re-write the ending," Revelle said. "We need those kind of tests and games that are going to build character. This was definitely a character-building weekend that will make our team better."

 

Hill (8-1) was dominant in the circle as the Husker pitching staff stretched its streak of not allowing an earned run to a season-high 33.2 innings. After working out of mini-jams in the first and third innings, Hill retired the final 13 hitters of the game, as KentState did not produce a base runner after the third inning.

 

Hill allowed just two hits and walked only two, while topping her previous career-high strikeout total by one.

 

"I was really proud of our pitchers," Revelle said after Hill's two-hit shutout followed a one-hit shutout from junior Ashley DeBuhr in Sunday's first game. "They responded to a pretty tough day yesterday and didn't give up any runs, allowed only three hits and had 24 strikeouts."

 

At the plate, Nebraska struggled to get anything going until Carwile belted a 1-2 pitch to center field to account for the game’s only run. The Huskers were held to five hits, including two from senior Jessica Yoachim who finished 2-for-3.

 

Kent State had chances to take the early lead, but Hill was able to keep the Golden Flashes off the board. A single, an error and a stolen base put runners at second and third with no outs in the top of the second, but Hill quickly responded by striking out the next three hitters to get out of the jam.

 

KSU placed runners on second and third again in the third inning, but the two-out rally fell short as Hill recorded a strikeout to end the inning.

 

Brittney Robinson was the hard-luck loser for KentState (5-7). Robinson pitched well, allowing just the one run on five hits in a complete-game effort that included five strikeouts.

 

Nebraska returns home to host a doubleheader with Northern Colorado on Tuesday at Bowlin Stadium beginning at 1 p.m. The Huskers then host the inaugural Big Red Tournament on March 17-19.