Huskers Blank Oklahoma State, 3-0

Stillwater, Okla. - A pair of solo home runs and a four-hit shutout from Tatum Edwards lifted the 25th-ranked Nebraska softball team to a 3-0 victory over Oklahoma State in game one of a Sunday doubleheader at Cowgirl Stadium.

Freshmen Hailey Decker and Dawna Tyson each hit solo home runs to help Nebraska build an early 2-0 lead, and that was plenty of support for Edwards. Decker added an insurance run in the top of the sixth with an RBI double, as she finished 2-for-3 with a double, a home run and two RBIs.

In the circle, Edwards improved to 8-4 on the year by tossing her third shutout of the season. Two of the four hits Edwards allowed were infield singles and she struck out eight - tying her season high - while working around two walks and four hit batters.

With the win, Nebraska improved to 13-5 on the year, and the Huskers picked up their first win over Oklahoma State at Cowgirl Stadium since 2006. The win was also Head Coach Rhonda Revelle's 767th victory at Nebraska, tying her with former baseball coach John Sanders as the Huskers' all-time wins leader across all sports.

Oklahoma State fell to 7-10 with the loss. Kat Espinosa (2-5) took the loss, allowing three runs on seven hits in a complete-game effort.

Nebraska jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the top of the second, when Decker hit a high fly ball that just cleared the fence in left field for a solo home run, her third of the year.

In the bottom of the frame, an infield single and a hit batter put Cowgirls on first and second with one out, before Edwards recorded a strikeout and a ground out to prevent any damage.

Oklahoma State then left the bases loaded in the bottom of the third, before Tyson doubled Nebraska's lead with a solo home run with two outs in the top of the fourth.

Decker delivered another key hit in the top of the sixth to extend the Husker lead to 3-0. Senior Brooke Thomason began the inning with a slap double down the left field line, and she was at third with one out when Decker ripped an RBI double to the gap in right center.

Edwards secured the shutout by retiring seven of the final eight batters and recording five of her eight strikeouts in the fifth inning or later.

Nebraska and Oklahoma State wrap up their doubleheader with game two.

Box Score

2013 Nebraska Softball Nebraska at Oklahoma State (Game 1) Mar 03, 2013 at Stillwater, Okla. (Cowgirl Stadium)

Nebraska 3 (13-5)

Player AB R H RBI BB SO PO A LOB ------------------------------------------------------ Stokes, Kiki cf.......... 4 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 2 Banda, Gabby 3b.......... 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 Edwards, Taylor c........ 4 0 0 0 0 1 7 1 1 Thomason, Brooke rf...... 3 1 1 0 0 2 1 0 1 Edwards, Tatum p......... 3 0 0 0 0 1 0 2 0 Decker, Hailey 2b........ 3 1 2 2 0 1 2 5 0 Tyson, Dawna dp.......... 3 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 Fowler, Mattie 1b........ 2 0 1 0 1 0 10 1 0 Armstrong, Alicia ss..... 2 0 0 0 1 1 0 2 2 Bettiol, Jordan lf....... 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 Totals................... 27 3 7 3 2 6 21 13 6

Oklahoma State 0 (7-10)

Player AB R H RBI BB SO PO A LOB ------------------------------------------------------ Brown, Tamara lf......... 4 0 1 0 0 2 1 0 1 Graham, Amy 2b........... 2 0 0 0 0 1 2 0 0 Ettinger, Tarah dp....... 4 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 Hughes, Shianne pr...... 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Chrisman, Samantha rf.... 3 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 2 Mikkelson, Tiffany 3b.... 1 0 0 0 1 0 2 2 0 Davis, Shelby cf......... 3 0 1 0 0 2 0 0 5 Woodall, Taylor c........ 2 0 0 0 0 1 7 0 0 Brewer, Stephanie 1b..... 3 0 0 0 0 2 4 1 0 DeLaCruz, Gessenia ss.... 2 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 2 Espinosa, Kat p.......... 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 2 0 Totals................... 24 0 4 0 2 8 21 5 10

Score by Innings R H E ----------------------------------------- Nebraska............ 010 101 0 - 3 7 0 Oklahoma State...... 000 000 0 - 0 4 1 -----------------------------------------

E - Graham. DP - Cowgirls 1. LOB - Huskers 6; Cowgirls 10. 2B - Thomason(4); Decker(4). HR - Decker(3); Tyson(1). HBP - Graham; Mikkelson; Woodall; DeLaCruz. SH - Banda(4); Graham. SB - Stokes(4); Fowler(2).

Nebraska IP H R ER BB SO AB BF NP -------------------------------------------------- Edwards, Tatum...... 7.0 4 0 0 2 8 24 31 127

Oklahoma State IP H R ER BB SO AB BF NP -------------------------------------------------- Espinosa, Kat....... 7.0 7 3 3 2 6 27 30 105

Win - Edwards, Tat (8-4). Loss - Espinosa (2-5). Save - None. HBP - by Edwards, Tat (Graham); by Edwards, Tat (Woodall); by Edwards, Tat (DeLaCruz); by Edwards, Tat (Mikkelson). Pitches/strikes: Edwards, Tat 127/76; Espinosa 105/61. Umpires - Start: 11:59 am Time: 1:56 Attendance: Game: livegame