2008 Woodie Awards
Softball team loses two more to fall to 1-6
Luke Nichols
Issue date: 2/25/08 Section: Sports
February softball means traveling south where it's nice and warm and not having to worry about poor weather.
Or not.
The Nebraska softball team traveled to Louisville, Ky., for the Cardinal Classic on Saturday and Sunday, but the weekend was cut short because of inclement weather.
On Saturday, the Huskers lost to Louisville 5-3 and Mississippi 2-0, bringing their overall record to 1-6.
The Huskers were scheduled to play two more games on Sunday against the same teams, but both were canceled because of intensifying snow flurries and wind chill temperatures hovering in the upper 20s. The cancellation postponed the return of NU ace pitcher Molly Hill, who has been recovering from a knee injury.
"We're disappointed with going 0-2," said NU Coach Rhonda Revelle, "but we're going to stay the course and keep getting better."
In the loss to Louisville, Nebraska scored first with a run in the top of the second inning. The Huskers loaded the bases with nobody out, but the Cardinals managed to record two quick outs. NU sophomore Whitney Barrett then worked a two-out walk to bring in the run.
The bottom of the second proved to be a costly one for the Huskers. Four Louisville hits, along with two Nebraska errors, equaled a five-run inning for the Cardinals.
Nebraska pecked away at the lead with two runs in the top of the third. NU junior Darcy Rutherford led off with a single, followed by a walk from freshman Ashley Guile.
Junior Amanda Duran then knocked in Rutherford with an RBI single. Duran was the bright spot for the Huskers, going 3-for-3 in the game. Two Cardinal errors led to Nebraska's third run.
Freshman pitcher Tori Tyson took the loss for the Huskers, allowing four runs on five hits in 1 and 1/3 innings. Sophomore Alex Hupp came in relief and gave up just one run on four hits in 4 and 2/3 innings.
In the nightcap, a combination of cold temperatures and a tough Ole Miss pitching staff silenced the Nebraska bats.
Hupp gave up a two-run home run to Ole Miss's Lauren Grill in the top of the third.
It would prove to be the only scoring of the game from either team.
Despite the one pitch, Hupp overall pitched well, going seven innings and giving up two runs on nine hits and striking out seven.
Hupp was glad to be back on track after having a rough weekend in Arizona last week.
"I was more relaxed," Hupp said. "I changed my mindset and my main focus was to attack and go after the hitters better."
Revelle said Hupp did a nice job of hitting her spots and changing speeds, which kept the hitters off-balance.
Saturday's loss to Ole Miss marked the second consecutive week where the predominantly left-handed hitting Husker lineup was shut out by a left-handed pitcher.
Revelle said there aren't many left-handed pitchers in the country, but Nebraska seems to be finding them all. She said she hopes the Huskers get better against lefties as well as improve upon other things as the season progresses.
"We're going inch by inch," Revelle said. "Even though we didn't get wins this weekend, we closed the gap."
LUKENICHOLS@DAILYNEBRASKAN.COM
Or not.
The Nebraska softball team traveled to Louisville, Ky., for the Cardinal Classic on Saturday and Sunday, but the weekend was cut short because of inclement weather.
On Saturday, the Huskers lost to Louisville 5-3 and Mississippi 2-0, bringing their overall record to 1-6.
The Huskers were scheduled to play two more games on Sunday against the same teams, but both were canceled because of intensifying snow flurries and wind chill temperatures hovering in the upper 20s. The cancellation postponed the return of NU ace pitcher Molly Hill, who has been recovering from a knee injury.
"We're disappointed with going 0-2," said NU Coach Rhonda Revelle, "but we're going to stay the course and keep getting better."
In the loss to Louisville, Nebraska scored first with a run in the top of the second inning. The Huskers loaded the bases with nobody out, but the Cardinals managed to record two quick outs. NU sophomore Whitney Barrett then worked a two-out walk to bring in the run.
The bottom of the second proved to be a costly one for the Huskers. Four Louisville hits, along with two Nebraska errors, equaled a five-run inning for the Cardinals.
Nebraska pecked away at the lead with two runs in the top of the third. NU junior Darcy Rutherford led off with a single, followed by a walk from freshman Ashley Guile.
Junior Amanda Duran then knocked in Rutherford with an RBI single. Duran was the bright spot for the Huskers, going 3-for-3 in the game. Two Cardinal errors led to Nebraska's third run.
Freshman pitcher Tori Tyson took the loss for the Huskers, allowing four runs on five hits in 1 and 1/3 innings. Sophomore Alex Hupp came in relief and gave up just one run on four hits in 4 and 2/3 innings.
In the nightcap, a combination of cold temperatures and a tough Ole Miss pitching staff silenced the Nebraska bats.
Hupp gave up a two-run home run to Ole Miss's Lauren Grill in the top of the third.
It would prove to be the only scoring of the game from either team.
Despite the one pitch, Hupp overall pitched well, going seven innings and giving up two runs on nine hits and striking out seven.
Hupp was glad to be back on track after having a rough weekend in Arizona last week.
"I was more relaxed," Hupp said. "I changed my mindset and my main focus was to attack and go after the hitters better."
Revelle said Hupp did a nice job of hitting her spots and changing speeds, which kept the hitters off-balance.
Saturday's loss to Ole Miss marked the second consecutive week where the predominantly left-handed hitting Husker lineup was shut out by a left-handed pitcher.
Revelle said there aren't many left-handed pitchers in the country, but Nebraska seems to be finding them all. She said she hopes the Huskers get better against lefties as well as improve upon other things as the season progresses.
"We're going inch by inch," Revelle said. "Even though we didn't get wins this weekend, we closed the gap."
LUKENICHOLS@DAILYNEBRASKAN.COM
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