Huskers Finish Weekend with 9-0 Shutout

Olivia Ferrell tossed a shutout and Nebraska slugged two home runs as the Husker softball team picked up its fourth win of the weekend with a 9-0 victory over Long Beach State Sunday afternoon at the LBSU Softball Complex. 

Ferrell (9-3) was brilliant in the circle while tossing her third career shutout. She fanned 10 batters, matching her career-high. 

With the Huskers fourth win of the weekend, Nebraska moved to 15-7 while Long Beach State fell to 9-14. 

Multiple Huskers made an impact on offense. Billie Andrews led the Big Red with 5 RBIs including a home run and a triple while Mya Felder notched a deep homer over the left field fence. Cam Ybarra added a triple of her own, her second of the day after hitting one in the first game against UCF, and Sydney Gray added a double. 

Nebraska took the 1-0 lead in the third inning. Brooke Andrews and Ava Bredwell each hit singles to put runners on first and second. Billie Andrews hit a single to center field, scoring Brooke Andrews. Cam Ybarra reached first on an error to load the bases. NU ended the inning with bases loaded but were able to take the 1-0 lead. 

The Beach recorded their first hit in the bottom of the third inning with a single to right field. Long Beach State was not able to take advantage of it however as the Huskers recorded a ground out and Ferrell's sixth strikeout of the game to get out of the inning. 

NU extended their lead to 4-0 in the top of the fifth. A lead off walk put Ava Bredwell on first. Cam Ybarra smashed a triple down the right field line, scoring Bredwell. Sydney Gray followed it with a double, scoring Ybarra. Courtney Wallace added the third hit on the inning with a single to center, scoring Gray to make it a 4-0 game. 

Billie Andrews added another homer in the top of the sixth inning with a deep ball over the right field fence for her 14th on the season. The Huskers extended their lead 5-0. 

Mya Felder added to the home run total with a smashed ball over the left field fence to add another run for the Huskers making it 6-0. A single from Wallace, a hit by pitch from Kinney and a walk for Bredwell loaded the bases for Billie Andrews to hit a triple deep to center field, making it a 9-0 game. 

The Huskers will travel to Lawrence, Kan., next weekend for the Rock Chalk Challenge. NU will take on Tulsa on Friday, March 18 at 10 a.m. followed by a game against South Dakota at 12:30 p.m. On Saturday, March 19, the Big Red will see Tulsa for a second time at 12:30 p.m. and then will face tournament host Kansas at 3 p.m. Nebraska will finish the weekend on Sunday, March 20 at 10 a.m. against South Dakota. All game times are listed in central time zone and will be broadcasted live on Huskers Radio Network and Huskers.com with the call from Nate Rohr. 

Game Notes 

• Olivia Ferrell made her 15th start in the circle this season. 
• Ferrell matched her career-high with 10 strikeouts. 
• Ferrell recorded her third shutout victory of her career. 
• Cam Ybarra smashed her third triple of the year in the top of the fifth inning.
• Billie Andrews notched her 14th home run of the season with a deep ball over the right field fence in the top of the sixth. 
• Andrews' home run moved her total to 14 which ranks ties her for 10th in Nebraska history for home runs in a season. She is tied with Tatum Edwards (2011 and 2014) and Hailey Decker (2014).
• Andrews also recorded her first triple of the year in the top of the third. 
• Andrews tallied 5 RBIs, a personal best for the sophomore. 
• Andrews' hit marked her 19th game in a row with a hit. 
• Mya Felder's home run in the top of the seventh was Felder's second of the season.
• The Huskers total home runs moved to 37 on the season with the two against Long Beach State.