Few words came from the Nebraska softball team's huddle heading into the fifth inning against Kansas on Friday at the Big 12 Tournament in Oklahoma City. But they were words Husker coach Rhonda Revelle was proud to hea
LORI GRIFFIN / Lincoln Journal Star | Posted: Thursday, May 8, 2008 7:00 pm
Few words came from the Nebraska softball team’s huddle heading into the fifth inning against Kansas on Friday at the Big 12 Tournament in Oklahoma City.
But they were words Husker coach Rhonda Revelle was proud to hear coming from her team.
“I heard one of our players in the huddle say, ‘We’re only down two,’ and they then responded immediately,” Revelle said in a telephone interview after the Huskers 4-3 win. “They’re doing a lot of great things right now.”
Nebraska opened a 1-0 lead in the second.
With two outs, Grand Island freshman Heidi Foland walked before stealing second. Whitney Barrett tripled, scoring Foland.
“The bottom of the order is really starting to show some production,” Revelle said.
Kansas scored three runs in the fourth.
With two on and no outs, the Jayhawks’ Val Chapple singled and Liz Kocon hit a sacrifice bunt, advancing Chapple to second.
After an umpire meeting, Kocon was called safe at first after determining that NU first baseman Crystal Carwile interfered with Kocon’s ability to run.
An RBI single by Amanda Jobe scored Chapple. A Husker error allowed the runners to advance to second and third before Betsy Wilson’s two-run double gave the Jayhawks a 3-1 lead.
“That first ball hit (Hill’s) foot and bounced off, and on the bunt, Crystal tripped and fell to the ground,” Revelle said. “It was just one of those weird innings.”
Nebraska tied the game in the fifth.
With two out and two on, junior Haley Long singled, scoring Darcy Rutherford. Carwile scored on a KU error.
Foland scored the winning run on a wild pitch in the sixth.
“It was another come-from-behind victory,” Revelle said. “After that first inning, Molly hung in there and did a nice job and shut them down.”
Hill gave up six hits and struck out two in earning her 13th win of the season.
Nebraska, the 10th seed, will face second-seeded Oklahoma today at 11 a.m.
“Right now they’re playing for the love of the game, and it seems that anything they do is going right,” Revelle said.
Briefly
Carwile and junior teammate Meghan Mullin were named to All-Big 12 teams. Carwile earned first-team honors, while Mullin was named to the second team.