Kenny Larabee, NRG Media
The No. 9 Nebraska softball team secured a critical Big Ten series win Sunday at Bowlin Stadium with an 8-4 victory over No. 7 UCLA. In this matchup between the top two teams in the Big Ten Conference, the Cornhuskers won the series two games to one, securing an early inside track on the Big Ten regular-season championship and perhaps a bid to host both regionals and super regionals at Bowlin Stadium this season.
The Nebraska (26-6, 8-1 Big Ten) pitching stifled the Bruins (29-5, 10-2 Big Ten) lineup all weekend long. After UCLA had averaged 11.74 runs per game entering the weekend, the Bruins mustered a total of just 11 runs against the Huskers.
On Sunday, UCLA took the early lead on a bases-loaded hit-by-pitch. Nebraska responded immediately in the bottom of the first, as Jordy Frahm clubbed a leadoff homer to center to tie the game. Then in the second, a towering two-run home run by Alexis Jensen that traveled 274 feet over the right-field fence gave NU the lead for good. Later in the inning, Hannah Camenzind crushed a three-run shot to center, boosting the Nebraska advantage to 6-1. Ava Kuszak immediately followed with her own homer to make it 7-1.
Alexis Ramirez homered to left in the fourth to cut Nebraska’s lead to 7-2, but the in the bottom of the fifth, Lauren Camenzind drove in a run with a single up the middle that pushed the Huskers’ lead to 8-2. A two-run homer by Rylie Slimp in the top of the seventh pulled the Bruins to within four.
Alexis Jensen (13-2) earned the win for Nebraska, allowing four earned runs in six innings while striking out five. Jordy Frahm came on after Slimp’s home run in the seventh and allowed just a hit while striking out one.
Frahm paced the Huskers’ offense, hitting 2-for-4 with the home run. Hannah Camenzind was 2-for-4 with a homer and a double and three RBI. Kuszak and Lauren Camenzind both had two hits as well.
Nebraska now prepares to face in-state rival Creighton Tuesday in Omaha at the Bluejays’ new ballpark. First pitch is scheduled for 5 p.m. Tuesday.
