Nebraska softball fends off Minnesota in 7-6 nailbiter

Nebraska improves to 28-21 on the season and 11-8 in conference, moving up to third place in the Big Ten standings.

The Huskers traveled to Minnesota Friday for its final regular season series before entering the Big Ten Tournament. Nebraska traded blows with the Golden Gophers and managed to fend them off in the end to take game one 7-6.

The Huskers led 2-0 following the top of the first thanks to back-to-back home runs by Sydney Gray and Emmerson Cope, the duos’ only RBIs of the game. Nebraska produced 11 hits on the day, including four in the fourth, when it scored five runs to take a 7-4 lead over Minnesota.

The Golden Gophers finished the game with eight hits, including three in the seventh during their two-run rally, which cut Nebraska’s lead to 7-6. Sarah Harness earned the win for the Huskers in the pitching circle by allowing only two runs in 5.1 innings of relief.

Offensively, Samantha Bland led Nebraska with two RBIs, both coming off a double in the fourth. Billie Andrews, Ava Bredwell, Bella Bacon, and Brooke Andrews each pitched in one RBI of their own.

Nebraska improves to 28-21 on the season and 11-8 in the conference, moving up to third place in the Big Ten standings. The Huskers will face Minnesota in game two on Saturday afternoon. The first pitch is set for 2 p.m. and can be viewed on the Big Ten Network.

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