Evanston, Ill. – The Nebraska softball team completed a three-game sweep of the Northwestern Wildcats with a thrilling 11-9 extra-inning victory on Sunday afternoon at Sharon J. Drysdale Field.
Northwestern led 5-0 after two innings only to see Nebraska score nine straight runs to take a 9-5 lead. But the Wildcats used three home runs to score three times in the sixth and once in the seventh to send the game to extra innings. The game was ultimately decided in the 11th inning, when a throwing error with the bases loaded allowed a pair of Huskers to score.
With the win, Nebraska improved to 28-14 on the season and moved to 9-5 in Big Ten Conference play, becoming the first team to sweep a three-game series at Drysdale Field since the Big Ten went to a three-game series format in 2012.
Junior Cassie McClure earned the win to improve to 16-6 on the year. McClure got the start and then re-entered the game in the sixth, finishing with 6.1 innings. She allowed five runs but kept the Wildcats scoreless over the final four innings. Sophomore Kaylan Jablonski pitched 2.2 innings and gave up three runs, while senior Emily Lockman allowed one run on only one hit in 2.0 innings of work.
Amy Letourneau (7-9) took the loss for Northwestern (16-23, 7-7 Big Ten), despite not allow an earned run in 5.2 innings.
Offensively, senior Kiki Stokes homered twice and tied her career high with four hits to pace the Husker offense. Senior Mattie Fowler added three hits and two RBIs, while classmate Dawna Tyson also had two RBIs. Freshman Alyvia Simmons also drove in a pair of runs, while junior MJ Knighten tied a school record with four walks.
Northwestern used a single, a walk and a three-run homer from Letourneau to grab a 3-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning. An RBI double and a sacrifice pushed the lead to 5-0 in the bottom of the second.
Trailing 5-0, Stokes led off the top of the third inning with a solo home run to right. Knighten followed with a single, and she scored on a two-out, RBI single from Fowler.
In the top of the fourth, sophomore Laura Barrow doubled, Stokes singled and Knighten drew a four-pitch walk to load the bases with one out. Northwestern got the second out before senior Dawna Tyson lined a 1-2 pitch into right field for a two-run single that cut the lead to 5-4.
The Huskers were held scoreless in the fifth before Stokes led off the fifth inning with a game-tying home run to right center. Northwestern made a pitching change following Stokes’ blast and Knighten promptly drew a walk and Tyson was hit by a one-out pitch. Fowler then lined an RBI double to the gap in left center to give Nebraska its first lead at 6-5. Simmons followed with another double off the fence in center to score Tyson and junior pinch runner Lotte Sjulin.
Northwestern made a second pitching change down 8-5, and Jablonski lined the first pitch from Letourneau into right field for a single. On the play, Fran Strub bobbled the ball in right, allowing Simmons to score to give Nebraska a 9-5 lead.
The Wildcats answered in the bottom of the sixth, using a two-run homer and a solo shot to cut the lead to 9-8.
After Nebraska loaded the bases with no outs in the top of the seventh but failed to score, Brooke Marquez tied the game with a one-out solo home run.
Both teams were retired in order in the eighth before Northwestern loaded the bases with only one out in the bottom of the ninth for leadoff hitter Sabrina Rabin. Rabin fell behind in the count 0-2 before lining a ball right to Knighten at third, who made the catch and threw across the diamond to Fowler at first, who fielded a short hop and tagged out Krista Williams for an inning-ending double play.
Northwestern then stranded runners at second and third in the 10th before the Huskers plated two runs in the 11th inning. Freshman Bri Cassidy came back from an 0-2 count to work a leadoff walk. Cassidy moved to second on a sacrifice bunt from Barrow and to third on a ground out from Stokes. Knighten then fought off 10 two-strike pitches to draw a walk and Northwestern elected to intentionally walk senior Alicia Armstrong to load the bases. McClure then hit the first pitch she saw on the ground to third and it was fielded by Morgan Nelson, but her throw to first was wild, allowing Cassidy and Knighten to score to give Nebraska an 11-9 advantage.
Northwestern brought the tying run to the plate following a one-out double in the bottom of the 11th before McClure recorded a pair of ground outs to wrap up the win.
Nebraska continues its seven-game road trip next weekend with a three-game series in Minneapolis against the Minnesota Golden Gophers.