The Nebraska softball team hit three home runs and scored in four of its five innings Thursday en route to an 11-2 run-rule victory over Minnesota in the quarterfinals of the Big Ten Tournament in Iowa City.
With the win, Nebraska (30-22) advanced to Friday’s semifinal where the Huskers will take on Indiana at 4 p.m.
Billie Andrews homered twice to power the Husker offense with a 2-for-3 day that included three runs and four RBIs. Emmerson Cope hit a two-run home run and went 1-for-1 with a walk, a hit-by-pitch and three RBIs. In the game, eight Huskers scored a run, seven had a hit and six produced an RBI.
Sarah Harness (9-5) earned the complete-game victory, allowing two runs on just three hits.
Jacie Hambrick (6-10) took the loss for Minnesota (28-25). Hambrick allowed three runs in 2.1 innings.
Minnesota jumped out to a 1-0 lead when Big Ten Player of the Year Jess Oakland led off the game with a home run.
Nebraska answered in the bottom of the first when Sydney Gray singled with two outs before Cope blasted a two-run home run off the top of the scoreboard in center field.
The Huskers added to their lead with two runs in the bottom of the third. Katelyn Caneda nearly led off with a home run, as she hit a ball off the top off the wall in right center where Morgan DeBord perfectly played the ball off the wall and threw to second base to get Caneda out. Billie Andrews then hit a towering home run to left center to give the Huskers a 3-1 lead. Following the home run, Samantha Bland reached on an infield single and Cope and Ava Bredwell were each hit by a pitch to load the bases with two outs. Brooke Andrews then hit a ground ball to Oakland who went to step on the second base bag but it was ruled that Bredwell beat Oakland to the base and Bland scored to make it 4-1.
Nebraska scored three more runs in the bottom of the fourth without recording a hit. The Huskers drew four walks in the inning and were hit by one pitch. Cope drew a bases-loaded walk to score Bacon with the first run of the inning before a sacrifice fly from Bredwell scored Billie Andrews and made it 7-1.
Minnesota came back and scored one run in the top of the fifth. A pair of walks and a single loaded the bases with one out for Oakland, who had an RBI fielder’s choice to cut the Husker lead to 7-2.
Nebraska ended the game early by scoring four runs in the bottom of the fifth. Brooke Andrews led off with a triple and scored on a sacrifice fly from Caitlynn Neal. Bacon then singled and Caneda walked before Billie Andrews hit a walk-off three-run homer to end the game early.
