Huskers Close Fall Season with 4-1 Win

Lincoln - The Nebraska softball team wrapped up a successful fall season with a 4-1 victory over Pittsburg State Sunday afternoon at Bowlin Stadium. The Huskers finished the fall with an 8-1 record and outscored their opponents, 37-8.

Sophomore right-hander Alex Hupp earned the win, despite surrendering her first run of the fall. Hupp allowed one run on four hits while striking out six in four innings of work. Junior right-hander Molly Hill picked up the save, allowing two hits and fanning three over the final three innings.

The win capped a tremendous fall for Hupp, as she finished with a perfect 5-0 record, including four shutouts. In 30 innings of work, Hupp struck out 36 and allowed just 21 hits and only one earned run for an ERA of 0.23.

Pittsburg State took a 1-0 lead in the top of the third inning when a hit batter, a stolen base and a bloop single down the right field line resulted in the only run Hupp allowed this fall, snapping a 28.2 scoreless innings streak.

Nebraska quickly responded with two runs in the bottom of the frame to take a 2-1 lead. Junior Meghan Mullin provided the first run with a sacrifice fly to center that scored freshman Julianne Brechtel. With two outs, junior Darcy Rutherford then reached safely on an infield single, allowing fellow junior Haley Long to score from third with the go-ahead run.

The Huskers extended their lead in the bottom of the fifth. Brechtel led off with a double and Long followed with an infield single. Brechtel scored on Long's hit when the second baseman's late throw to first was wild.

Freshmen Abby Hughes and Kelli Linke rounded out the scoring in the bottom of the sixth when Hughes reached on a two-out, infield single and Linke doubled to the gap in left center. Leading 4-1, NU nearly added more as junior Amanda Duran followed with another single, but freshman pinch runner Sammie Liegl was thrown out at home while attempting to score from second.

Linke paced the NU offense with a 2-for-3 day with an RBI, while Long finished 2-for-2.

Head Coach Rhonda Revelle reflected on the Huskers' fall following the game, noting she was pleased with the progress her team made.

"With as many injuries as we had, a lot of freshmen got to play and it was good for them to get that experience," Revelle said. "Every weekend we got better and that was great to see. We got great pitching, and I was very pleased with how they worked.

"All in all, I'm most pleased with the focus this team has to get better."

Nebraska opens the 2008 regular season at the Kajikawa Class, Feb. 15-17, in Tempe, Ariz.