No. 19 Nebraska softball run-rules Penn State, advances in Big Ten Tournament

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) — The No. 3-seeded Nebraska softball team took care of business in the Big Ten Tournament Thursday, stomping No. 11 Penn State 9-1 in five innings at Bittinger Stadium in West Lafayette.

For the second straight game, Ava Kuszak was the one to seal the victory for the Huskers, as she hit a walk-off single in the bottom of the fifth inning.

The win marked Nebraska’s 23rd run-rule victory this season, which is the most in program history.

As a team, the Huskers tallied eight hits and played flawless defense, committing zero errors. The Nittany Lions only had two hits and committed two errors.

Nebraska’s bats were hot early, scoring 5 runs in the bottom of the first inning and 2 in the second to get out to a 7-1 lead.

Ava Bredwell led NU with a 3-for-3 showing from the plate, racking up three RBIs and a double.

Jordyn Bahl, Kuszak, Olivia DiNardo, Abbie Squier and Bella Bacon each had a hit, while Squier knocked in 2 runs.

Bahl (23-5) got the win in the circle, pitching all five innings while only giving up two hits and striking out nine batters.

She retired the final 12 hitters of the game – eight via strikeout – as Penn State did not have a base runner after a leadoff walk to begin the second inning.

With the win, the Huskers move on to the semifinals of the tournament for the sixth time in program history.

First pitch is set for Friday at 4 p.m. against the winner of No. 2 UCLA and No. 10 Indiana on the Big Ten Network.