Husker softball wins twice on Saturday

LINCOLN, Neb. (Nebraska Athletics) – The Nebraska softball team won twice on Saturday, defeating Colorado State and South Dakota at Bowlin Stadium. The Huskers defeated the Rams 3-0 in game one before posting a 6-2 victory over the Coyotes in game two.

In the opener against Colorado State, Jordy Bahl fired a one-hit shutout, allowing just one base runner the entire game. Peyton Cody powered the Husker offense as she doubled and drove in all three Nebraska runs.

Against South Dakota, Nebraska used a four-run second inning to take a 6-0 lead after three innings. Katelyn Caneda drove in three runs for the Huskers and Sarah Harness earned the win in the circle, allowing one run on two hits in 4.0 innings.

Nebraska wraps up its fall exhibition season tomorrow with a pair of games against Colorado State beginning at 10 a.m.

Game 1: Nebraska 3, Colorado State 0
Newcomers Jordy Bahl and Peyton Cody led Nebraska to a 3-0 victory over Colorado State in game one. Bahl fired a one-hit shutout while Cody drove in all three Husker runs.

In the circle, Bahl was nearly perfect, facing one batter over the minimum. She allowed a leadoff single in the third inning but retired the side in order in each of the other six innings. She struck out five and needed only 84 pitches in her complete game.

Offensively, Cody finished 1-for-3 with a double and a sacrifice fly while Ava Bredwell was 1-for-2 with a walk and a run scored and Bahl walked twice and scored once.

Nebraska grabbed a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning without recording a hit. Brooke Andrews led off with a walk and Bahl was hit by a one-out pitch. Both runners moved into scoring position on a wild pitch before Cody scored Andrews with the game’s first run on a sacrifice fly to left.

In the top of the third, a leadoff single and a sacrifice bunt put the tying run at second base with one out for Colorado State, but Bahl responded with a strikeout and a ground out to end the inning.

The Huskers produced their first two hits of the game in a two-run sixth inning. Bredwell reached on a one-out single and Bahl followed with a walk. Cody then lined a two-run double to left center to put the Big Red in front 3-0.

Bahl then produced a 1-2-3 seventh inning to wrap up her shutout victory.

Game 2: Nebraska 6, South Dakota 2
Nebraska scored the first six runs of the game against South Dakota, highlighted by a four-run second inning. Six Huskers had a hit in the victory while five scored a run and four produced an RBI.

Katelyn Caneda powered the offense with a 1-for-2 effort that included a double and three RBIs. Sydney Gray finished 2-for-3 with a triple, a run and an RBI while Ava Bredwell went 2-for-2 with a double and a run scored.

In the circle, Sarah Harness earned the victory, allowing one run on two hits over the first 4.0 innings with five strikeouts. Emmerson Cope pitched 2.0 innings and allowed one run on three hits. Caitlin Olensky closed out the victory by tossing a scoreless seventh inning.

Like game one, Nebraska jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first. Bredwell doubled to center field with one out and promptly stole third base. She then scored on Jordy Bahl’s sacrifice fly to the wall in center.

The Huskers then exploded for four runs in the bottom of the second. Caitlynn Neal began the inning with a single before a fielder’s choice put Samantha Bland on first with one out. Gray then lined an RBI triple off the wall in center that scored Bland and made it 2-0. Bella Bacon walked and pinch runner Dakota Carter stole second base before Canada lined a two-run double to left center. The Huskers took a 5-0 lead on an RBI single from Brooke Andrews that capped the four-run frame.

Harness worked around a leadoff single and a one-out walk to keep the Coyotes scoreless in the top of the third with help from a diving catcher in center by Andrews.

NU added another run in the top of the third. The Huskers loaded the bases with one out on an error, a single from Gray and a walk to Bacon. Caneda then drove in her third run of the game with a sacrifice fly that scored Bland and stretched the Husker lead to 6-0.

South Dakota cracked the scoreboard in the top of the fourth, plating a run on a wild pitch.

The Coyotes then got a home run from Alexis Husk to lead off the fifth inning and make it a 6-2 game. USD threatened to cut further into the lead before Cope escaped a bases-loaded jam without allowing an additional run.

Olensky wrapped up the win by pitching a scoreless seventh inning.