Strong defense and timely hitting powered No. 21 Nebraska softball to a dominant weekend, as the Huskers completed a three-game sweep of Minnesota with an 8-2 win on Sunday at Bowlin Stadium. Nebraska (23-8, 4-1 Big Ten) entered the series with one of the lower fielding percentages in the conference but flipped the script by playing 20 straight innings without an error. Head Coach Rhonda Revelle praised the defensive execution, calling several plays “really important” in the weekend’s success.
Minnesota (13-18, 2-5 Big Ten), meanwhile, struggled in the field, committing 10 errors across the series—including five in one inning on Sunday, which helped Nebraska break the game open. Despite resting star pitcher Jordy Bahl for just the second time in seven games, the Huskers got a complete performance from their pitching staff. Sophomores Emmerson Cope and Caitlin Olensky each threw two innings, allowing one run apiece, before Kylee Magee closed the door with three hitless, scoreless frames and three strikeouts—her best outing in a Husker uniform following wrist surgery.
Nebraska trailed 2-0 early after a solo homer by Minnesota’s Taylor Krapf, aided by strong winds. The Huskers stranded several runners but broke through with a five-run third inning, capitalizing on five Gopher errors and delivering clutch hits from Ava Bredwell, Samantha Bland, and Ava Kuszak. Bredwell finished 3-for-3 with a 2-RBI double that gave Nebraska the lead. Kuszak and Bland also drove in two runs each.
Nebraska has now won 10 of its last 12 games and looks to keep the momentum going with a midweek matchup at Omaha on Wednesday, followed by a three-game home series against Purdue beginning Saturday.
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