No. 10 Nebraska softball continued to roll, beating perennial Big Ten power Michigan 8-4 and 5-2 to finish a three-game sweep of the Wolverines in the first series of Big Ten play. The Cornhuskers (21-5, 3-0 Big Ten) have won 10 straight and 17 of the last 18.
Michigan (19-9, 0-3 Big Ten) took the lead in the top of the first in game one, with Jenissa Conway homering to right to put the Wolverines ahead, 1-0. Katelyn Caneda answered with a two-run homer to left, giving Nebraska a 2-1 lead. Lauren Putz drove in a run with a double to left to tie the game at two in the top of the third. The Huskers answered in the bottom of the third. Hannah Camenzind singled in a run to give Nebraska the 3-2 lead. Then in the fifth, home runs by Jordy Frahm and Ava Kuszak pushed the lead to 5-2. Janelle Ilacqua hit a two-run single in the top of the sixth to cut NU’s lead to 5-4, but in the bottom of the sixth, Samantha Bland drew a bases-loaded walk to push the lead to 6-4. Hannah Camenzind followed with a two-run single to right, boosting the Huskers’ lead to four.
Frahm (7-3) earned the win in the circle, allowing two earned runs in 4.2 innings pitched in relief. Hannah Camenzind was 2-for-4 with three RBI.
In game two, Kuszak got Nebraska on the board in the bottom of the fourth with a towering home run over the scoreboard in left field. Erin Hoehn gave Michigan the lead with a two-run single to right in the top of the fifth. But in the bottom of the fifth, Bland singled to right to drive in the game-tying run. A bases-loaded walk to Hannah Camenzind gave the lead back to Nebraska, 3-2. Then in the bottom of the sixth, Caneda clubbed a two-run home run in the sixth to push the lead to three.
Hannah Camenzind (5-0) earned the win in the circle, allowing three hits in four shutout innings. Alexis Jensen earned her first save of the season, throwing three innings while allowing two earned runs. Jensen also was 2-for-3 to pace the NU offense.
The Huskers now prepare to take on Michigan State Friday in East Lansing, Mich. First pitch is scheduled for 4 p.m.
