May 18, 2001
Box Score| Quotes| NCAA Regionals
STANFORD, Calif. - Amanda Buchholz's RBI double in the bottom of the eighth drove in the winning run as second-seeded Nebraska defeated third-seeded Pacific 2-1 in eight innings in the second game of Day Two of the NCAA Softball Regional at Stanford's Boyd & Jill Smith Family Stadium on Friday afternoon. Nebraska (51-13) will next play on Saturday at 1:30 p.m. against the winner of the Stanford-Central Michigan game later today. Pacific (48-12) will either play on Saturday at 11:00 a.m. (if game) or at 4:00 p.m.
Jamie Fuente hit a one-out single to left and Brianna Bates went in as a pinch runner. Then Buchholz got a hold of a 1-1 pitch with the game-winning double to the right centerfield gap.
The game, which was scoreless until the fifth, was a pitcher's dual between Pacific's Cindy Ball and Nebraska's Leigh Ann Walker. Both teams were hitless until the third. In the fifth, Nebraska's Peaches James relieved Walker and went the rest of the way without allowing a run.
In the top of the fifth, Ball singled to right center after a 10-pitch battle with Walker. Nicole Inouye went in to pinch run and was sacrificed to second by an Erica Reynolds bunt. She advanced to third on a fly out and scored on Barbara Moody's line drive single to left.
The Huskers tied the game 1-1 in the bottom of the fifth. James led off with a single to right and advanced to second on a throwing error by the right fielder. She moved to third on an infield ground out and scored on a squeeze play. Leigh Suhr laid down a perfect bunt as James beat the pitcher's throw to the plate.
In the bottom of the seventh, Nebraska had a runner on third with no outs but failed to score. Cindy Roethemeyer doubled into the left centerfield gap to lead off the inning. She advanced to third on a pass ball, then James walked to put runners on first and third with no outs. Ball forced a ground out and got a strikeout before walking a batter to load the bases. Then Pacific's first baseman Brandy Thurman robbed Nicole Trimboli with a backhanded grab of a line drive.
Ball went the distance for the Tigers and gave up two runs (one earned) on seven hits. She struck out four and walked three in falling to 31-8.
James earned the win for the Huskers. She went 3 1/3 scoreless innings and gave up three hits. Walker, who started the game, went 4 2/3, giving up one run on two hits.
Nebraska 2, Pacific 1 (8) Score by Innings12345678R H E Pacific 000010001 5 2 Nebraska 000010012 7 0WP - Peaches James (16-6) to Amber Burgess. LP - Cindy Ball (31-8) to Kelly Lowry. Save - None. 2B - Cindy Roethemeyer (UOP), Amanda Buchholz (UN) 2. 3B - None. HR - None. E - Adrienne Ratajczak (UOP), Boni Kading (UOP). LOB - Pacific 6, Nebraska 9. Records: Pacific 48-12, Nebraska 51-13.