Kearney, Neb. – Redshirt sophomore third baseman Bri Healy belted three home runs to help Nebraska-Kearney beat Southwest Baptist, 9-8, and William Jewell, 11-0 (5 innings), Friday afternoon in Springfield, Mo.
The games were part of the two-day Drury Invitational. The Lopers (6-5) have now won four in a row; they’ll play Saturday morning at 9:30 (Illinois-Springfield) and 11:30 (Drury). Game times have been moved up due to weather.
In the night cap Healy (Omaha Central) went off to the tune of three-run dingers in the first and second innings. She finished 2 for 3 with two runs and six RBI’s. The Lopers scored four runs in each of the first two innings and then added three in the fourth to run rule the Cardinals (1-4) from the Great Lakes Valley Conference.
Besides Healey, Omaha junior second baseman Kaylee Schutte (Elkhorn H.S.) was 2 for 3 with three RBI’s while Lincoln junior center fielder Carlee Liesch went 2 for 3 with two runs scored. Colorado senior Melissa Gellermann was strong in the circle to the tune of no runs over five full innings. She moved to 2-1 by fanning six and walking one.
UNK gave up a five-spot to SBU in the second inning but tallied runs in each of the last four innings to win. That included three in the fourth and four in the sixth. Healy led off the fourth with a homer while Kearney junior left fielder Avery Wood (2 for 3, three runs & two RBI’s) followed with a two-run dinger soon after. The wild sixth featured four runs on four hits, two errors and a walk with a Wood double in the seventh leading to an insurance run.
Lincoln junior Kelsey Goodban ((2-2) earned the win by allowing two earned over the final five innings. She worked out of a jam in the bottom of the seventh by getting a pop up to short and a strikeout with the potential tying run at second. The teams combined for 17 runs on 19 hits, nine walks, and five errors.
Nine-hole hitter and freshman designated player Carly Dembowski (Lincoln North Star) went 3 for 4 with Lincoln junior shortstop and leadoff hitter Abbie Vodicka 2 for 5 with a run scored.
Loper Softball Has Big Day
