The No. 18 Nebraska softball team split its first two games of the Wichita State Invitational Friday, defeating South Dakota State, 8-5 in eight innings, before falling to No. 16 Oklahoma State, 1-0. The 1-1 day takes the Huskers’ record to 13-5.
Against the Jackrabbits, Nebraska built a 4-0 lead through 4 1/2 innings. A two-run single by Emmerson Cope in the first inning got the Cornhuskers on the board. Abbie Squier drove in a run with a single up the middle in the fourth. Then in the fifth, Cope hammered her second home run of the year to push the lead to 4-0. But SDSU mounted a rally in the bottom of the fifth. After a leadoff double from Alli Boyle, Madi Conklin hit an RBI single to drive in Boyle’s pinch runner, Quinn Marnocha. After back-to-back walks to Emma Vike and Amanda Vacanti loaded the bases, Abby Gentry clubbed a bases-clearing double to score three and tie the game.
Then in the sixth, the Jackrabbits took the lead when Akayla Barnard hit a two-out solo home run to center to give South Dakota State a 5-4 lead. Nebraska was down to its last out in the seventh when Cope crushed a home run over the center field fence to tie the game at five. It was Cope’s first career multi-HR game. Jordy Bahl came out of the bullpen and retired the Jacks in order in the seventh. Then in the eighth, Hannah Camenzind led off the inning with a double. Two batters later, Ava Kuszak doubled to right-center to drive in Camenzind and give NU the lead. Bahl followed with a double to left to score Kuszak. With Samantha Bland at the plate, Bahl moved to third on a wild pitch, then scored on a groundout by Bland. Bahl pitched a 1-2-3 eighth to clinch the win.
The game against the Cowgirls featured Bahl, an All-American pitcher, against Omaha native Ruby Meylan, who earned All-America honors at Washington two years ago. The anticipated pitching dual materalized, with the teams combining for just one baserunner through the first three innings. Oklahoma State mounted a threat in the fourth, loading the bases with two outs before Bahl induced a popup to second by Amanda Hasler. Nebraska got its first baserunner of the game in the bottom of the fourth with a leadoff walk by Kuszak, but an unconventional double play thwarted that inning.
Megan Bloodworth led off the fifth for the Cowgirls by hammering a 0-1 pitch over the left-field fence to break the scoreless deadlock. Cope led off the fifth with Nebraska’s first hit, a single to left, but didn’t advance. Nebraska finally had two baserunners on in an inning for the first time in the bottom of the seventh. Bahl led off the inning with a single to left. Bland laid down a sacrifice bunt and was safe on error with Bahl heading to third. Cope grounded to third, moving Bland to second with the possible winning run in scoring position with one out in the seventh. But Kacie Hoffman struck out and Ava Bredwell popped to third to end the game and give OSU the one-run victory.
Meylan earned the win with a two-hit shutout with one walk and nine strikeouts. Bahl took the loss, allowing just two hits but with five walks and eight strikeouts.
Nebraska now prepares to faces Missouri and Wichita State in Wichita Saturday. First pitch against the Tigers is 3 p.m., with the matchup against the Shockers a half-hour later.