Nebraska Husker Women's Softball
ANN ARBOR, MICH. – Michigan scored nine runs over the third and fourth innings to defeat the Nebraska softball team 11-3 in six innings Sunday in Ann Arbor.
With the loss, Nebraska fell to 25-19 on the season and dropped to 8-6 in Big Ten play.
Kaylin Kinney (15-12) took the loss, allowing five runs (three earned) in 3.0 innings. Caitlynn Neal pitched for the first time in two years and allowed four runs in 1.0 inning. Emmerson Cope pitched the final 1.1 innings and allowed two runs on only one hit.
Offensively, six Huskers had a hit in the game. Sydney Gray and Malia Thoms each doubled while Peyton Cody and Bella Bacon produced Nebraska’s lone RBIs.
Lauren Derkowski (13-7) earned the win for Michigan, allowing three runs (one earned) in a complete-game effort. The Wolverines improved to 33-13 overall and 14-3 in conference play.
Michigan got back-to-back singles to begin the bottom of the first but Kinney retired the next three batters to work out of the jam.
Michigan had a similar situation in the third and took advantage to score five runs. With two on and none out, an RBI single plated the game’s first run. Nebraska then recorded the first out on a fly out to center field and it appeared the Huskers got a double play throwing behind the runner at second base but the runner was ruled safe. A two-run triple gave the Wolverines a 3-0 lead before the final two runs scored on an error and a passed ball.
Nebraska answered with two runs in the top of the fourth to cut the lead to 5-3. Gray began the inning with a double before Emmerson Cope walked. An error allowed Gray to score and left runners at second and third with no outs. Cody then came through with a sacrifice fly that scored pinch runner Mckinley Malecha.
In the bottom of the fourth, Michigan scored four runs. The first two batters walked before a two-run double made it 7-2. A one-out RBI triple followed by a sacrifice fly pushed the lead to 9-2.
In the top of the fifth, Thoms delivered a pinch-hit, one-out double and Billie Andrews followed with a single. But the next two batters were retired on three pitches.
Nebraska came through in a similar spot in the top of the fifth. Cody reached on a one-out single before Ava Bredwell was hit by a pitch. Bacon then delivered an RBI single up the middle. Trailing 9-3, Nebraska had runners on second and third with one out but had to settle for just the one run although Katelyn Caneda crushed a pitch down the right field line that went just foul, narrowly missing a three-run home run.
Michigan then hit a two-run homer in the bottom of the sixth to end the game early.
Following six consecutive road games, Nebraska returns home for five home games this week at Bowlin Stadium beginning with a Tuesday doubleheader against Iowa.
Post-Game Notes
- Nebraska was swept in a three-game Big Ten series for the first time since April of 2023 at Northwestern.
- The Huskers’ three-game losing streak is its second-longest of the season.
- Malia Thoms had a pinch-hit double in the fifth inning. Thoms is 1-for-4 as a pinch hitter this season and 4-for-15 overall with a pair of doubles.
- With numerous injuries to Nebraska’s pitching staff, Caitlynn Neal made her season debut in the circle. Neal arrived at Nebraska as a pitcher and hitter and threw 2.2 innings over three appearances as a freshman in 2021 and 1.0 inning over two appearances as a sophomore in 2022.
