May 19, 2001
Box Score| Quotes| NCAA Regionals
STANFORD, Calif. - Estee Okumura's sixth-inning RBI single scored two runs as third-seeded Pacific defeated second-seeded Nebraska 3-1 on Saturday afternoon in the NCAA Softball Regional at Stanford's Boyd & Jill Smith Family Stadium. Pacific (49-12) advances to Sunday's championship game against top-seeded Stanford. Nebraska is eliminated from the Regional and finishes the season at 51-15.
With the game tied at 1-1 in the bottom of the sixth, Pacific rallied for two runs. Erica Reynolds led off with a line drive double down the left field line. Nicole Inouye went in to pinch run and moved to third on an Angela Alves sac bunt. With one out and Inouye on third, Barbara Moody was intentionally walked. After a strikeout, Nebraska intentionally walked Adrienne Ratajczak after falling behind 3-0. With the bases loaded , Okumura took the first pitch she saw and lined a single to centerfield to score Inouye and Moody for a 3-1 Pacific lead.
This was the second meeting between the two teams this weekend. The Huskers came away with a 2-1 eight-inning win on Saturday.
Sunday's championship game is set for 1:00 p.m. If Pacific wins the first game, the two teams will play again at 3:30 since the tournament is a double elimination format.
Nebraska got on the board in the top of the third. Cindy Roethemeyer singled through the left side, stole second and went to third on Danielle Arnold's base hit to center. Then Leigh Suhr brought Roethemeyer home with a single to left for a 1-0 Nebraska lead.
UOP got its first hit of the game in the bottom of the fourth when Moody roped a double over the centerfielder's head to lead off the inning. Moody advanced to third on Natalie Farmer's sac bunt and beat the throw to the plate on Ratajczak's grounder to second to tie the game at 1-1.
Jennifer Dacre pitched the first five innings for the Tigers. She gave up one run on five hits, while striking out two. Cindy Ball came on in the sixth and pitched two innings of no-hit ball while walking two.
Leigh Ann Walker went the distance for the Huskers and gave up just one hit through five innings. She gave up three runs on three hits with three strikeouts. She falls to 22-7.
Pacific 3, Nebraska 1 Score by Innings1234567R H E Nebraska 00100001 5 0 Pacific 000102x3 3 1 WP - Cindy Ball (32-8) to Erica Reynolds. LP - Leigh Ann Walker (22-7) to Amber Burgess. Save - None. 2B - Barbara Moody (UOP), Erica Reynolds (UOP). 3B - None. HR - None. E - Natalie Farmer (UOP). LOB - Nebraska 7, Pacific 2. Records: Nebraska 51-15, Pacific 49-12.