Huskers Finish Fall with 7-1 Record

<?xml:namespace prefix="st1" ns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags"?>Iowa City, Iowa ? The Nebraska softball team split a pair of games on Sunday at the Hawkeye Fall Classic, falling 3-2 to Western Illinois before rallying to defeat host Iowa, 1-0. The loss to Western Illinois was the Huskers’ lone setback of the fall, as NU finished with a 7-1 record over two tournaments.<?xml:namespace prefix="o" ns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office"?>

 

Against WIU, sophomore right-hander Tori Tyson pitched strong five innings before NU ran into trouble in the sixth inning. Holding a 2-1 lead in the sixth, a two-out, two-run bloop single gave the Westerwinds a 3-2 lead that they would not relinquish.

 

Nebraska rebounded in game two, posting its second straight victory over an Iowa squad that advanced to the final of the 2008 Iowa City Regional. Senior right-hander Molly Hill was dominant against the Hawkeyes for the second straight day, tossing a four-hit shutout with four strikeouts.

 

Hill received all of the run support she would need in the first inning, as freshman Nikki Haget scored the game’s only run. Senior Brittany Pascale coaxed a walk and Haget came on to run for Pascale. Haget was at third with two outs when senior Amanda Duran hit a grounder up the middle that the Iowa infield was unable to control as Haget raced home with what proved to be the winning run.

 

Despite the split, Head Coach Rhonda Revelle was pleased with the performance of her team over the weekend, especially the work of the pitching staff.

 

“The highlight of the weekend was pitching,” Revelle said. “I think our pitchers had great command of the strike zone, and we played some really great defense behind them.”

 

In eight fall games, NU pitchers allowed just four runs, combining to post a 0.51 ERA. Hill led the way with a perfect 4-0 record and a 0.23 ERA. Hill allowed just one run in 30.0 innings of work while posting 33 strikeouts and adding one save. Opponents managed just 11 hits against Hill in her 30 innings.

 

The Huskers will officially wrap up their fall season this week with a three-game intrasquad scrimmage beginning on Tuesday. NU will then resume practicing in January of 2009 in preparation for the regular season, which begins on Feb. 7 at the UNI Dome Classic in Cedar Falls, Iowa.

 

Nebraska Fall Results (7-1)

Nebraska 1, UNO 0

Nebraska 8, Augustana 0 (5 innings)

Nebraska 1, Augustana 0

Nebraska 1, UNO 0

Nebraska 2, Western Illinois 0

Nebraska 2, Iowa 1 (8 innings)

Western Illinois 3, Nebraska 2

Nebraska 1, Iowa 0