Despite loss, Huskers softball team remains hopeful through weekend tourney

Pitcher Ashley Hagemann struggled in the circle and Nebraska lost to Washington Thursday afternoon in the Huskers' first game of the 2012 season.

The ace struggled in the team's debut surrendering five walks, including three to begin innings, in the 4-0 loss.

The Huskies scored two in the first and two in the third, and it was all they would need. The Huskers remained scoreless the rest of the game.

"We had good pitch selections at the plate," NU coach Rhonda Revelle said, "but we didn't make the adjustments that we should have."

WU's starting pitcher Kaitlin Inglesby was a threat all day for the Huskers from both sides of the ball.

After a walk and two groundout's to begin the bottom of the first, the sophomore hit a two-run homerun to give the Huskies a 2-0 lead. She also had a single going 2-for-3 with two RBI at the plate.

In the circle, Inglesby pitched a complete game shutout, allowing just two hits and two walks, including five strikeouts to earn her first win on the season.

Revelle said the hard-throwing pitcher gave the Husker batters trouble all day.

"We had good contact, but we didn't force her to change her game plan and that was the problem," she said.

After being hitless through the first four innings, Nebraska's first came with one out by left fielder Madison Drake in the top of the fifth inning.

But NU was unable to make anything of the short spark and left the inning with the same score it started with.

Catcher Taylor Edwards, who doubled in the sixth as one of the Huskers two hits of the day, said Inglesby's inside pitches got to the offense.

"She threw very hard and well," Edwards said. "We were taking good looks and swinging at good pitches, we just didn't make anything happen."

Though she struggled with command, Hagemann's most crucial test came in the bottom of the fourth inning. The senior began the inning with a walk, then after a fielder's choice, walked the next two batters to load the bases.

But the Elkhorn, NE. native was able to regain control as the next two batters grounded out and flied out, escaping the inning.

Edwards said the circle visit from coach Lori Sippel during the inning helped calm Hagemann down.

"(Sippel) just told her to relax and take a deep breath to get her to her comfort level," Edwards said. "She started to look at every pitch one at a time and stayed in that moment every single pitch."

Hagemann then shut down the Huskies in the following innings, but it wasn't enough to regain any momentum for her team.

Nebraska begins the 2012 season 0-1 with the loss to No. 12 Washington and will head back to the field in Tempe, Ariz. Friday to face No. 8 Arizona at 5:30 p.m.

Although NU finished the day scoreless, Revelle said the successful pitching by the opponent was encouragement heading into the rest of the tournament.

"It will have a positive effect because we finally got to take part in live hitting," the coach said. "We were making solid contact against a pitcher that throws hard, it just wasn't going through."

Edwards said the loss won't affect the team and that it needs to stay in the moment to gain success this weekend.

"We feel the loss but we can always get better," she said. "We're going to learn from this first game and do better next time.

"We came out on the short end today, but we will come out against Arizona and do what Nebraska softball does."

neduIzu@dailynebraskan.com