May 19, 2006
IOWA CITY, IA – Nebraska’s Jamie Waldecker delivered a clutch two-out single down the left field line in the bottom of the tenth inning that scored Katie Linke to give the Cornhuskers a 1-0 victory at Pearl Field in the first round of the NCAA Regionals. No. 14 Nebraska improves to 43-10 on the season and advances to play California Saturday at 2 p.m. (CDT). Iowa falls to 39-21 and will play Illinois State in an elimination game at 4:30 p.m. (CDT) Saturday.
Linke collected her third walk of the game to leadoff the bottom of the tenth. Meghan Mullin followed with a bunt single to put Nebraska’s first two hitters on base. Iowa got the next two batters out and nearly escaped the Cornhusker threat, but Waldecker ripped a 2-1 pitch off Iowa pitcher Brittany Weil to record the game-winning RBI. Waldecker and Weil were high school teammates at Pacifica High School in California for three years.
The game was a pitcher’s dual, as both hurlers yielded only one hit each through the first five innings. Nebraska had only three base runners through five innings and Iowa one. Nebraska’s Ashley DeBuhr struck out five batters and scattered three Hawkeye hits, while Weil sat down seven and yielded five hits. DeBuhr threw 139 pitches, 106 strikes, while Weil tossed 151 pitches, 83 strikes.
The Cornhuskers offered the contest’s first threat in the bottom of the sixth. Nebraska’s Lizzy Aumua singled up the middle to open its frame. Aumua advanced to second following a successful sacrifice and then third after a deep fly out to left. With Aumua at third with two outs, Weil got Crystal Carwile, Nebraska’s clean-up hitter, to strike out to swinging after falling behind 3-0 in the count to silence the threat.
The Hawkeyes recorded their first scoring chance in the top of the seventh. Erin Riemersma collected a one-out hit and advanced to second following a successful sacrifice. DeBuhr got Summer Downs to ground out to third to end the inning.
Nebraska’s Devin Porter registered a one-out hit in the bottom of the seventh and then advanced to second following a pass ball. The inning ended on a sensational game-saving diving snag by Hawkeye second baseman Riemersma that had the potential to score Porter.
Iowa thought it scored the game’s first run in the top of the eighth. After rounding the bases from first base after a Sami Baugh infield single and throwing error by Nebraska, the first base umpire immediately ruled that Heidgerken left first base too early and was called out.
Nebraska stranded two runners in the bottom of the ninth after DeBuhr struck out swinging, Weil’s seventh strikeout of the contest.
GAME SUMMARYIOWA 000 000 000 0 -- 0 3 0NEBRASKA 000 000 000 1 -- 1 5 0WP - DeBuhr (25-8)LP - Weil (27-15)LOB - NU (9); IOWA (2)