Nebraska crushes South Dakota State in home-opening doubleheader
No. 9 Nebraska softball opened its first day at Bowlin Stadium with two blowout wins over South Dakota State. NU took down the Jackrabbits 9-4 in the first game of a doubleheader, then smacked SDSU 8-0 in five innings.
The Huskers dominated SDSU 8-1 earlier on Jan. 28 in Tulsa, Okla., and got the best of the Jackrabbits twice in Lincoln, Neb., too.
The Scarlet and Cream were blessed with beautiful weather for their home openers. However, the wind did not help the pitchers, allowing seven homers in 12 innings. The Huskers recorded five homers.
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Game Won
Left-handed pitcher Alexis Jensen earned her first career start at Bowlin Stadium. The freshman allowed seven hits, four earned runs and struck out 13 in seven innings and 130 pitches. She walked two batters and gave up two home runs.
Right-hander Amanda Vacanti got the nod for SDSU, throwing 3 1/3 innings. She gave up nine hits and nine earned runs. The sophomore struck out one, walked two and had one wild pitch. Righty Tayler Baker closed out the game, allowing two hits in 2 2/3 innings.
Both teams benefited from a beautiful hitters’ evening. The windstream in Lincoln carried four hits past the outfield wall in game one.
The Jackrabbits smashed homers in the top of the second and third innings. Third baseman Abby Gentry hit a solo in the second, and second baseman Bria Riebel crushed a 3-RBI homer for SDSU to go up 4-2.
Nebraska softball took a 2-0 lead in the first inning behind three singles and a throwing error. Jordy Frahm scored on a throwing error after a successful Sammie Bland bunt. Jesse Farrell added an RBI single for a two-run lead.
The Huskers’ first home run was a two-RBI shot by Ava Kuszak in the bottom of the third to tie the game 4-4. Hannah Camenzind launched another Husker homer to center field for a 9-4 lead in the fourth. NU scored five runs on five hits in the fourth inning. Frahm recorded a two-RBI single.
After giving up two home runs in the first half of the game, Jensen settled in. She retired the next seven batters. After the first three innings, the freshman allowed one hit, no runs and struck out six batters in the next three.
SDSU made Jensen and Nebraska earn it in the top of the seventh. DP Alivya Bollen was walked, and then left fielder Emma Christensen doubled to left to put two players in scoring range. But Jensen struck out the next three batters to win 9-4.
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Huskers, Frahm shutout Jackrabbits
The Husker offense stayed strong and confident in its second game on Thursday. They posted five runs in the second inning to put early pressure on the Jackrabbits. SDSU had a costly fielding error, walked one and hit two batters.
In the second, Kacie Hoffmann bounced a two-RBI home run off the Alex Gordon Training Complex in right field. Hannah Coor, who was walked, scored after SDSU decided to throw out Frahm at second. H. Camenzind doubled to left to go up 5-0.
The Huskers added two more runs behind three hits in the third. Kuszak added her second homer of the day with a solo to right to lead off the half-inning. Frahm doubled to right field for Bella Bacon to step on home for a 7-0 lead.
Right-handed pitcher Madi Magulis was pulled after NU led by a touchdown. She pitched the first three innings, allowing six hits for seven runs, four earned. She struck out one, walked two and hit two batters. Hailey Herman replaced her in the fourth. The righty gave up two hits, one run and struck out one in one inning.
Herman’s only allowed run was a no-doubter bomb from Bacon to end the game 8-0 in a run rule. Bacon’s first homer of the season was on the second pitch of the bottom of the fifth inning.
The Huskers were led by Frahm in the circle. She held the Jackrabbits to five hits in the shutout. The senior struck out nine batters and walked one.
Next up, the Huskers face in-state rival Omaha on Saturday, March 7 at 2 p.m. CT on B1G+ at Bowlin Stadium.
