Four Huskers hit home runs and the No. 19 Nebraska softball team defeated the Southeastern Louisiana Lions, 14-1, in five innings in the semifinals of the NCAA Baton Rouge Regional on Saturday afternoon. 

Hannah Camenzind knocked a three-run homer in the third inning, Ava Kuszak hit a grand slam in the fourth and Jordyn Bahl and Samantha Bland went back-to-back in the fifth to account for nine RBIs. Abbie Squier and Bella Bacon each added two hits as the Big Red posted 14 runs, the most in program history for an NCAA Tournament game.

Bahl’s home run was her 22nd of the season, which ties the school record for home runs in a season. Kuszak’s homer was her 20th of the season, which helped mark the first time that a duo has recorded 20+ home runs apiece in a single season. 

Bahl (24-6) also claimed the win in the circle, as she pitched 3.0 innings with only one hit and one run. H. Camenzind threw the final 2.0 innings and held SLU scoreless. 

NU moved to 41-13 on the season, while the Lions fell to 49-15. 

In the top of the first, Kuszak walked and Bland reached on a fielder's choice. Kuszak went to third and Bland went to second on a SLU error and H. Camenzind knocked a three-run homer to give NU a 3-0 lead. 

Southeastern Louisiana got on the board in the bottom of the first with an RBI single to make the score 3-1. 

DiNardo walked and Kennadi Williams pinch ran for her in the top of the third. H. Camenzind singled before a Bacon double sent Williams across the plate. H. Camenzind crossed the plate on a wild pitch, Bredwell and Bahl walked and Bacon scored on a Bland single. Kuszak knocked a grand slam, her second of the season, to clear the bases and make the score 10-1. 

Squier doubled in the top of the fourth and Bacon reached on an error. Katelyn Caneda pinch ran for Bacon before Squier scored on a Bredwell sacrifice fly. Caneda crossed the plate on a wild pitch before Bahl and Bland knocked back-to-back home runs to extend the score to 14-1. 

NU will compete in the regional final tomorrow at 2 p.m. (CT). The game will be streamed on ESPN+ and can be heard across the Huskers Radio Network. For opponent information, stay updated with Huskers.com. 

Postgame Notes

  • Ava Kuszak’s grand slam marked her 20th home run of the season. This year is the first time the Huskers have two players with 20+ home runs in a season, as Jordyn Bahl has 22. 
  • Bahl’s home run put her at 22 on the season, which tied the school record for home runs in a season. Ali Viola also hit 22 home runs in 1998.
  • Bahl also scored two runs in the game, giving her 66 on the season, which ties the school record for most runs scored in a season.
  • Kuszak also extended her hit streak to 13 games. 
  • With its seven-run third inning and four-run fourth inning, NU has now scored 4+ runs in 43 innings this season and 6+ runs in 17 innings.
  • NU has scored 10+ runs in 22 games this season.
  • Nebraska has 25 run-rule wins on the season, which is the most in school history.
  • With 10 runs against UConn and 14 against SLU, Nebraska scored 10+ runs in two straight NCAA Tournament games for the first time in program history.
  • Nebraska’s 14 runs are the most it has scored in NCAA Tournament history. NU had only scored 10+ runs in six NCAA Tournament games entering this season. 
  • NU has hit back-to-back home runs eight times this season. 
  • Nebraska has had 16 innings this season with multiple home runs. 
  • The Huskers have hit 4+ home runs in 10 games this season. 
  • Before today, SLU’s pitchers had only given up 12 home runs in 63 games. NU hit four in five innings on Saturday.

Huskers Cruise to Fifth Consecutive Series Win

Nebraska cruised to a 14-2 run-rule victory in eight innings at Purdue on Saturday afternoon to pick up the Huskers’ fifth consecutive series win.

Nebraska (28-27, 15-15 Big Ten) scored 14 runs on 15 hits, while Purdue (31-23, 11-19 Big Ten) recorded two runs, six hits and three errors.

Will Jesske led the Huskers at the plate, going 4-for-5 with a double and three runs scored. Cayden Brumbaugh was 2-for-3 with a double and an RBI. Dylan Carey and Case Sanderson recorded a hit and two RBI each, while Cael Frost went 1-for-1 with a homer and two RBI, leading a group of nine Huskers with one hit on the day.

Jackson Brockett improved to 3-3 on the season after dealing two innings in the scheduled shortened start on Saturday afternoon. The senior struck out two and didn’t allow a run on two hits and a walk. Gavin Blachowicz worked one inning, surrendering one run with one hit and a pair of strikeouts.

Pryce Bender allowed one run on two hits and two strikeouts in two innings of work, while Caleb Clark worked 1.1 shutout frames without a hit given up, recording three punchouts and a walk. Blake Encarnacion and Grant Cleavinger combined to deal the final 1.2 innings for the NU pitching staff, blanking the Boilermakers with three punchouts and just one hit allowed.

The Husker offense went to work early, as Nebraska scored runs in each of the first four innings on Saturday afternoon. The Huskers plated two runs behind a pair of hits to grab an early 2-0 advantage.

NU loaded the bases with two outs after Brumbaugh’s double, Swansen being hit by the pitch and a walk to Carey. Sanderson broke the scoreless tie on the first pitch with a two-RBI single up the middle that brought home Brumbaugh and Swansen.

Nebraska stretched its lead to six in the second behind three hits and an error. A full-count walk and a fielding error had runners on second and third with no outs, while Silva’s RBI single to shortstop plated Nunez. Consecutive RBI hits from Overbeek and Brumbaugh scored Bolin and Silva to give the Huskers a five-run advantage.

Swansen lifted a deep fly ball to center field for a sacrifice fly, allowing Overbeek to come home for NU’s sixth run of the day.

The Big Red added two more to the lead in the top of the third with a sacrifice fly from Bolin, while a wild pitch scored Nunez and grew the lead to eight.

Purdue had a pair of baserunners with two hitters plunked, while a two-out RBI single up the middle plated the Boilermakers’ first run of the afternoon in the bottom of the third.

The Husker offense scored for the fourth consecutive inning with Carey’s sacrifice fly to deep left-center field after Swansen’s leadoff triple off the left-center field wall.

The Boilermakers scored their second run of the day with two hits in the bottom of the fifth. A one-out double put a runner on second, before a two-out RBI single through the left side made it a 9-2 game through five innings.

Nebraska scored a run in the top of the sixth on a double play, before piling on four more runs in the eighth to extend the lead to 14-2. A Leadoff double from Jesske, and a 408-foot two-run homer off the bat of Frost gave the Huskers a 12-2 lead.

Jaron Cotton was plunked on the first pitch, before consecutive singles by Rhett Stokes and Hayden Lewis expanded the lead to 11. Carey capped the scoring for the Big Red on the afternoon with an RBI double to the wall in right-center field.

Cleavinger worked around a leadoff walk in the bottom of eighth to blank the Boilermaker and preserve Nebraska’s 14-2 run-rule victory in eight innings.