The No. 6 Nebraska softball team scored a season-high 17 runs, including 10 in the fifth inning, to rout the Minnesota Golden Gophers, 17-2, in five innings on Saturday in Minneapolis, Minn. With the win, the Big Red improved to 35-6 on the season with a 16-1 mark in Big Ten play.
Hannah Coor and Jesse Farrell each hit a grand slam to lead the Husker offense with four RBIs apiece. Kacie Hoffmann added three and Ava Kuszak and Hannah Camenzind each had two. Nine different Huskers contributed at least one hit on the day, led by Kuszak with three.
Alexis Jensen (18-2) grabbed the win in the circle after throwing four innings with just three hits and one run. She added four strikeouts. Kylee Magee tossed the final inning for the Big Red and allowed one hit and one run.
Nebraska took a 2-0 lead in the top of the third, as Coor singled and stole second before eventually scoring on a Kuszak single. Kuszak advanced on the throw home and crossed the plate on a Gopher error.
The Huskers extended the lead to 7-0 in the top of the fourth with Coor’s grand slam and a Hoffmann RBI single that scored H. Camenzind.
Minnesota added a run in the bottom of the fourth to make the score 7-1.
Nebraska’s 10-run fifth inning started with a Bland single, Minnesota error and Frahm sacrifice fly. L. Camenzind, who reached on the error, stole second and her and Bland scored on a H. Camenzind double. Kuszak singled to score Coor, who walked before Hoffmann and Jensen loaded the bases and Farrell knocked her grand slam. Bland and Emmerson Cope hit back-to-back singles and Talia Tokheim doubled to score Bland. Bella Bacon singled to score L. Camenzind, who ran for Cope, to round out the scoring.
The Gophers scored another run in the bottom of the fifth to close out the 17-2 game. NU and Minnesota will meet for the series finale tomorrow, April 19, at 12 p.m. (CT).
