Husker Softball Downs OSU in Game One Saturday

Lincoln – The 19th-ranked Nebraska softball team delighted the largest crowd in school history on Saturday by winning game one of a doubleheader with Ohio State, 8-0 in six innings. The victory came in front of 2,204 fans, a new school attendance record and a new record for the World’s Largest Softball Tailgate, which preceded the game. After scoring in every inning of Friday’s 14-1 five-inning win, Nebraska scored in five of its six at bats on Saturday. The Huskers pounded out 12 hits in the win, including home runs from senior Taylor Edwards, junior Kylee Muir, sophomore Kiki Stokes and freshman Kat Woolman. Taylor Edwards’ home run was the 50th of her career, as she became just the second Husker and only the 11th player in Big Ten history to hit 50 career home runs.

In addition to her third homer of the season, Woolman produced one of Nebraska’s three muti-hit games. Woolman was 2-for-3 with a pair of runs scored and one RBI, while sophomore Alicia Armstrong was 2-for-4 with a double and a pair of RBIs and classmate Dawna Tyson finished 3-for-3. The three hits were a career high for Tyson.

Sophomore right-hander Emily Lockman (16-4) earned the victory, tossing her second straight shutout and fifth of the season. Lockman fired a five-hitter, struck out two and walked one. She did not allow an Ohio State runner to reach third base in the game.

With the win, Nebraska won its seventh straight conference game and improved to 32-13 on the season and 10-4 in Big Ten play.

Olivia O’Reilly (9-8) suffered her second straight loss to Nebraska, allowing eight runs in a complete-game effort. Ohio State fell to 20-22 overall and dropped to 6-8 in conference play with the loss.

Taylor Edwards gave Nebraska a quick 1-0 lead by leading off the bottom of the first inning with her 14th home run of the year.

Muir added a solo homer of her own in the bottom of the second so stretch the lead to 2-0. Tyson then ignited a two-out rally with a single, before Taylor Edwards walked. With runners on first and second, sophomore Hailey Decker singled Tyson home with the Huskers’ third run of the game.

Nebraska was held scoreless in the bottom of the third for the first time in the series before Ohio State stranded a pair of runners in the top of the fourth.

The Huskers then got consecutive singles from Woolman and Tyson to begin the bottom of the fourth. Decker was then hit by a pitch to load the bases with one out before Tatum Edwards recorded an RBI single to center to give Nebraska a 4-0 lead. Armstrong followed with a two-run single to center that pushed the lead to six.

Muir nearly stretched the lead to 7-0 when she hit the first pitch of the bottom of the fifth inning to deep center, but Taylor Watkins reached over the fence and made the catch to rob Muir of her second home run of the day. Following the outstanding catch, Woolman stepped to the plate and hit a towering home run off the scoreboard in left, well out of the reach of any Buckeye defenders. Nebraska had a chance to end the game with one more run, but couldn’t plate another run with runners on first and second and one out.

The Huskers did wrap up the run-rule victory one inning later when Stokes slammed her third home run of the season.

Nebraska looks for a Saturday and series sweep in game two of the doubleheader.