After falling to Purdue 0 – 1 on a blustery Friday afternoon, the Nebraska softball team won the series Saturday and Sunday by shutting out the Boilermakers. While Saturday featured yet another pitcher’s duel game, the Husker bats heated up on Sunday to make a statement.
GAME 1
Nebraska Coach Rhonda Revelle sent freshman hurler Kaylan Jablonski into the circle Saturday afternoon. She pitched the best game of her young career shutting out the Purdue offense allowing just 3 hits while striking out 7. With this performance, Coach Revelle may just have found her second reliable starter for the remainder of the season.
Offensively, Husker MJ Knighten continues her hitting streak. She provided the game’s only offense in the 5th and 7th innings. Knighten went 3-for-4, driving in one run in the 5th inning with an RBI single. She blasted a two-run homer in the seventh to secure the victory for NU. Knighten’s hitting streak now stands at 20 games.
Take an inside look into the #Huskers 3-0 win over Purdue in Game 2 #OSTW pic.twitter.com/tmU0hq2Ohd
— Nebraska Softball (@HuskerSoftball) April 11, 2015
GAME 2
In the rubber match of the series on Sunday afternoon,
Nebraska
bats needed to have a scoring explosion. Mission accomplished!! The
Huskers
earned a run rule victory in the sixth inning downing Purdue 8 – 0. The Huskers scored in the third, fifth and sixth innings.
#Huskers Win in 6 Innings 8-0 and take the series over Purdue. #OSTW pic.twitter.com/IIDiP53aQk
— Nebraska Softball (@HuskerSoftball) April 12, 2015
Husker junior right-hander Emily Lockman headed to the circle for the second time in the series. This time, she shut out Purdue. Lockman tossed a 3-hitter, striking out 4 and walking only 1. It was her second shutout of the year.
MJ Knighten at bat (photo by Jeff Suggs)
Offensively, Nebraska scored 8 runs on 7 hits. NU junior Alicia Armstrong went 1 – 4 on the day including a 3-run homer in the third inning. Nebraska catcher Steph Pasquale was 1-for-2 with a walk and two RBIs and freshman Laura Barrow went 2-for-3 smashing a double to score a pair of runs. MJ Knighten stretched her hitting streak to 21 games with an RBI single in the 6th to secure the run rule victory.
The Big Red road record in Big Ten play improved to 6-2 with this series win at Purdue. As the regular schedule winds down, the Huskers will play one more conference series on the road beginning April 24 at Wisconsin. The two remaining conference series vs Northwestern and Illinois will be played at home in the friendly confines of Bowlin Stadium.
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Nebraska softball improves to 22-18 on the season, and 10-4 in Big Ten play. Going forward, the Husker’s goal of making post-season play is still alive. 12 games remain before the conference tournament in Columbus, OH beginning May 7. Generally, 35 wins will guarantee an NCAA bid but teams have received a bid with a game or two fewer in the past.The Big Red doesn’t have much room for error in their remaining schedule. Stay tuned here to see how your Huskers finish up the season. As always, GO BIG RED!!