(Photo Courtesy of Nebraska Athletics)
Cathedral City, Calif. – Sophomore Hailey Decker extended her career-long hitting streak in dramatic fashion Friday, grounding a 3-2 pitch up the middle for an RBI single in the bottom of the ninth inning to lift the 11th-ranked Nebraska softball team past No. 12 Texas A&M, 3-2.
Decker was 0-for-4 when she stepped to the plate with no outs and runners on first and second in the bottom of the ninth inning. Sophomore Kiki Stokes was placed on second base to begin the inning in accordance with the international tie breaker. Senior Taylor Edwards then walked to bring Decker to the plate. A native of Keizer, Ore., Decker delivered on the seventh pitch of her at bat against Texas A&M ace Rachel Fox, singling to score Stokes with the winning run.
Decker’s hit not only extended her hitting streak to a career-high 11 games, but more importantly, it lifted Nebraska (8-2) to its third straight win and second victory over a top-15 team this season. Decker’ hit was NU’s 10th of the game, as the Huskers out-hit the Aggies, 10-4. Taylor Edwards finished 2-for-4 with a walk, as she extended her hitting streak to 13 games. Junior Mattie Fowler was 3-for-4 while freshman Austen Urness was 2-for-3 with her first career triple.
It was that triple that helped Nebraska jump out to a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the second inning. Urness tripled down the right field line to lead off the frame, before senior Tatum Edwards brought her home with an RBI single up the middle.
That run looked like it would hold up as Edwards held a powerful Texas A&M offense in check. The Aggies stranded 10 runners through the first six innings as they were unable to score. But April Ryan led off the top of the seventh with a game-tying solo home run.
Nebraska had runners at first and second with a chance to win the game in the bottom of the seventh, but was unable to score.
Texas A&M took its first lead in the top of the eighth, when the Aggies scored the runner placed on second despite not recording a hit. A Husker error allowed the run to score, but a Texas A&M error allowed the tying run to come home in the bottom of the eighth. Tied 2-2, Nebraska had a chance to end it in the eighth with the bases loaded and only one out, but a double play sent the game to the ninth.
Just two pitches into the ninth, Taylor Edwards picked off the Texas A&M runner placed on second. Tatum then retired the next two hitters to set the stage for Decker’s dramatics in the bottom of the frame.
Tatum Edwards went the distance for Nebraska in the circle, improving to 4-1 on the year. Edwards fired a four-hitter and allowed only one earned run in the second-longest outing of her career. Only one of the four hits – the tying home run – left the infield.
Fox (3-3) took the loss for the Aggies, which fell to 11-4 on the season. In 8.0-plus innings, Fox allowed three runs (one earned) on 10 hits.
