Courtesy of Husker Athletics
Ava Bredwell hit a walk-off two-run homer with two outs in the bottom of the seventh inning to power the Nebraska softball team to a 7-6 victory over Iowa and complete a doubleheader sweep Tuesday at Bowlin Stadium.
Nebraska led 4-0 early and took a 5-3 lead into the seventh inning. But Iowa used a three-run homer in the top of the seventh to take a 6-5 lead. Bredwell answered with her seventh home run of the season to give Nebraska its second walk-off win of the doubleheader.
With the win and hte doubleheader sweep, Nebraska improved to 27-19 on the season and moved to 10-6 in Big Ten play.
Bredwell and Billie Andrews each had two RBIs in the game while Bella Bacon was 2-for-4 and Katelyn Caneda went 2-for-3. Samantha Bland was 1-for-2 with two walks and two runs and Peyton Cody went 1-for-2 with two walks and an RBI.
In the circle, Sarah Harness started and re-entered the game in the seventh inning to earn the win. Harness (6-4) allowed three runs in 5.0 total innings. Emmerson Cope pitched 2.0 innings and gave up three runs.
Jalen Adams (9-12) took the loss for Iowa, which fell to 16-23 on the year and 4-13 in conference play.
Nebraska nearly grabbed a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning when Billie Andrews narrowly missed a leadoff home run. Andrews hit a deep drive into the wind in center and the ball had home-run distance but Iowa center fielder Grace Banes reached over the wall to rob a would-be home run.
The Huskers had two hits in the second inning but could not score.
Then in the third, Nebraska scored four runs. Caneda led off with a double and Brooke Andrews followed with a single. Billie Andrews lined a two-run double to left center to give Nebraska a 2-0 lead. Billie Andrews then scored on a wild pitch to make it 3-0. With two outs, Cody walked and Bacon reached on an error to load the bases before a wild pitch brought home the fourth run of the inning.
Iowa got a run back in the top of the fourth on a solo home run.
In the fifth, Iowa loaded the bases with one out. A two-run single then cut the Husker lead to 4-3 and the Hawkeyes still had runners on second and third with two outs but the Huskers escaped further damage.
Nebraska got a run back in the bottom of the fifth to make it 5-3. Bland drew a leadoff walk and stole second after the next two Huskers were retired. Cody then came through with an RBI single.
In the top of the seventh, a leadoff walk, a single and a three-run homer gave Iowa a 6-5 lead.
That set the stage for Bredwell’s big hit in the bottom of hte seventh. Cody drew a one-out walk and was replaced by pinch runner Alina Felix. After a pop out marked the second out of the inning, Bredwell launched a 1-2 pitch over the wall in left for the win.
Nebraska remains home this weekend when the Huskers host league-leading Northwestern in a three-game series at Bowlin Stadium on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
Post-Game Notes
- Nebraska won on a walk-off hit for the second straight game. Bella Bacon had a walk-off double in game one of the doubleheader and Ava Bredwell had the walk-off home run in game two.
- The Huskers have hit two walk-off home runs this season.
- Nebraska won a game it trailed for the 16th time this season.
- The Huskers played yet another one-run game. Five of Nebraska’s last six games have been decided by one run while nine of the Huskers’ 16 Big Ten games have been one-run games.
- NU improved to 10-6 this season in one-run games.
