Huskers Fare Well in Fall Season

The Nebraska softball team completed a successful fall season earlier this month by sweeping three games from Pittsburg State at the Big Red Fall Classic at Bowlin Stadium.

 

With the three victories, the Huskers finished 8-1 in the fall, suffering only a 7-4, six-inning setback to Michigan, which finished the 2007 season one win shy of advancing to the Women’s College World Series while earning a No. 13 final ranking.

 

Nebraska began the fall season with a doubleheader sweep of Nebraska-Omaha. As was the theme of the fall, Husker right-handers Molly Hill and Alex Hupp were dominant. Hill, a junior from Wayne, Neb., tossed a shutout in Nebraska’s opening 2-0 victory. Hupp, a sophomore from Olathe, Kan., threw a shutout in game two, which the Huskers won by a score of 5-0.

 

Newcomers paced the offense on the opening day of the fall season, as freshmen Julie Brechtel and Kelli Linke, along with junior Amanda Duran, a transfer from Pima (Ariz.) Community College, combined to produce all five of Nebraska’s RBIs on the night and 10 of the Huskers’ 17 hits.

 

The Huskers traveled to Notre Dame the next day for four games in two days at the Worth Fall Classic. Facing a tough field, NU posted a 3-1 record, earning victories over Notre Dame, Illinois-Chicago and Western Michigan. Hill pitched a shutout against the Fighting Irish, while Hupp blanked both UIC and WMU.

 

In the opening game of the tournament, Hill posted a three-hit shutout as NU defeated host Notre Dame, 3-0. Brechtel again provided the clutch hit in the victory, as her two-run single in the top of the fifth inning put the game out of reach.

 

Hupp gave the Huskers four consecutive shutouts with a five-hitter in a 4-0 victory over Illinois-Chicago. Brechtel added her third RBI of the day in the win, while junior Crystal Carwile provided the big blow with a three-run home run.

 

The next day, Hupp picked up where she left off, winning a 1-0 pitchers’ duel with Western Michigan on the strength of three-hit, 10-strikeout performance. Junior Meghan Mullin manufactured the lone run of the game, as she singled, stole second and third and scored on an error.

 

Nebraska’s lone blemish of the fall season came in the final game of the tournament. The Huskers jumped out to a quick 2-0 lead in the top of the first on the strength of a triple from Mullin and an RBI single from Duran. Michigan then snapped Nebraska’s scoreless streak at 35.1 innings with a four-run first off Hill. The Wolverines led 6-2 after two innings and the Huskers could get no closer than 7-4 when the game was called after six innings due to a time limit that was in effect.

 

NU wrapped up the fall season with the Big Red Fall Classic at Bowlin Stadium. Playing in front of nearly 400 fans, the Huskers opened the tournament with 7-0 and 8-0 wins over Pittsburg State. Hill tossed a no-hitter in the first game with nine strikeouts, while the Nebraska offense came alive late, scoring all seven runs in the sixth inning. Carwile, junior Haley Long and freshman Ashley Guile each had two-RBI hits in the inning.

 

Hupp earned a five-inning shutout in the 8-0 nightcap victory, as the Husker offense scored eight runs in 4.1 innings to post their lone run-rule victory of the fall. Hupp struck out 11 of the 19 batters she faced and also added a three-run, first-inning double and a pair of walks. Mullin and Linke also enjoyed big games, as each finished with two hits and two RBIs.

 

On the final day of the classic, Nebraska won 4-1. The Huskers had to rally from an early 1-0 deficit as Hupp surrendered her only run of the fall in the top of the third inning, snapping her scoreless streak at 28.2 innings. Mullin tied the game with a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the third, while Long scored the go-ahead run and drove in Nebraska’s third run.

 

Huskers Hope Fall Success Leads to Successful Spring

If recent history is any indication, Nebraska’s strong showing in the fall could mean good things for the spring. The Huskers posted an 8-1 record this fall after finishing 8-4 last fall. The last time Nebraska finished with at least a .750 fall winning percentage, the Huskers went on to finish runner-up in the Big 12 Conference and establish the third-best winning percentage in school history during the 2006 season.

 

Below is a look at how Nebraska had done in the fall and spring seasons over the past five years:

Year

Fall Record (Win Pct.)

Spring Record (Win Pct.)

Big 12 Finish

2007-08

8-1 (.889)

TBD

TBD

2006-07

8-4 (.667)

37-20 (.649)

5th

2005-06

9-3 (.750)

44-12 (.786)

2nd

2004-05

12-2 (.857)

36-23 (.610)

t-7th

2003-04

13-4 (.765)

45-17 (.726)

1st

 

Husker Hurlers Hupp & Hill Highlight Fall
The right-handed combination of junior Molly Hill and sophomore Alex Hupp were dominant during the fall, posting a 0.93 ERA while allowing opponents to score in just four of 60 innings. The duo opened the fall with a combined 35.1 scoreless innings streak.

 

Hupp tossed four shutouts in five fall starts, while Hill threw three shutouts in four starts. Hupp, who allowed just one run in 30 innings of work, good for a 0.23 ERA, had a high scoreless inning string of 28.2 innings. Hill surrendered seven runs in 30 innings, with all runs coming against Michigan. Hill built a scoreless innings streak of 14.1.

 

Newcomers Notes

In addition to the work of the pitching staff, the play of the newcomers was another highlight for Nebraska this fall. Seven of the Huskers’ eight newcomers saw action, while five earned at least one start, highlighted by junior Amanda Duran and freshmen Julie Brechtel and Heidi Foland, who started every game.

 

Freshman Kelli Linke posted the Huskers’ top batting average of the fall, while fellow freshman Abby Hughes added the most stolen bases. Brechtel also tied for the team lead with five RBIs. In all, the newcomers were poised in the clutch, combining to produce 15 of NU’s 30 RBIs.

 

With the newcomers producing RBIs, freshman Sammi Liegl got a chance to show her speed, finishing second with four runs scored while also adding a pair of stolen bases. Fellow freshman Ashley Guile also got a chance to show her abilities, finishing 2-for-9 with a double and two RBIs. Guile participated in only three of the Huskers’ nine games and was relegated to hitting-only duties due to a broken hand.

 

The only newcomer not to see action was freshman right-hander Tori Tyson, who was unavailable due to a broken foot.         

 

Four Miss Fall Season With Injuries

Four Huskers were forced to miss the fall season due to injury, while a fifth started three games despite a broken hand. Junior Brittany Pascale and sophomores Whitney Barrett and Crystal Gonzalez were each held out of action while recovering from surgery. Freshman right-hander Tori Tyson suffered a broken foot the first week of practice that kept her out for the fall.

 

Fellow freshman Ashley Guile suffered a broken hand in the opening week of practice. Despite missing the first six games, Guile started all three games at the Big Red Fall Classic, despite being relegated to hitting-only duties and batting with a cast. Guile produced despite the injury, finishing 2-for-9 with a double and two RBIs.

 

Huskers Continue Fall Success at Bowlin Stadium

With a perfect 3-0 home record this fall, Nebraska has won seven consecutive fall games at Bowlin Stadium while improving its overall fall home record to 22-4 (.846). The Huskers also finished unbeaten in 2006 (4-0) and 2002 (5-0).

 

The only fall season where NU suffered more than one loss came in 2005, when the Huskers posted a 3-2 record, including a 1-1 mark against both defending national champion Michigan and the Canadian National Team, led by Nebraska Associate Head Coach Lori Sippel.