The phrase “they control own destiny” gets overused as all hell, but I have to give it credit – it sounds so much cooler than “just win out and it don’t matter none what them other donkeys are doing in their yard”.
No one really controls destiny even if they’re the only ones who don’t need any help to win it all in whatever sport. Until they decide they do.
Penn State sent Bridget Nemeth to the circle to head their effort to spoil the Husker party and, likely more importantly to them, get their first
win against a ranked team in 2026, a feat made harder by a schedule lacking greatly in such squads. They only played three of them in their non-conference part of the schedule and then drew only Nebraska and Oregon in the Big 10 slate.
Nemeth, a junior, was one of the Big 10’s top hurlers as a frosh (23-8 1.77 ERA 202 K’s 210 IP) before missing all but a couple of games to injury as a sophomore. Whatever that injury was, it has lingered. The 2026 season, as noted by her 4-5 record, 4.93 ERA and 65.2 innings pitched entering Saturday’s game, attested to that.
But for 5 innings, it appeared the 2024 model was again toeing the rubber, right down to the cocky smirk which would shine when we she was in the groove. She had walked a few but the .338-hitting Huskers had managed only a single hit. However, in the 6th, she gave up a pair of singles and was not helped in the field by a boot at second and a questionable throwback to third by the Penn State shortstop with runners on the corners.
The bags were loaded and Kacie Hoffman ripped a 2-run single to cut the lead to one and bring PSU Coach Clarisa Crowell to the mound to pull Nemeth.
Too quick? Maybe, but I won’t be the one potentially losing sleep over it and Huskers were licking their chops.
”They smell blood in the water,“ is another overused sports trope, but the Huskers did. A walk was followed by Jordy Frahm smashing a bases loaded missile of the top of the right-field fence inches from being a grand slam, so hard that it was quickly tossed in and only a single run scored. All tied up. Hannah Coor then dropped one in the same corner, but it was slow enough to allow 2 more runs to come around.
Pitchers were switched once more and another run was sacked in by Hannah Camenzind, Her twin sister Laura’s 2-run blast, the Huskers’ only homer, highlighted a 3-run 7th inning. The final was 10-4 after pouring 9 across the plate in the final two frames and the Huskers were the Big 10 champs. Even if they didn’t seem overly excited about it.
Alexis Jensen got the start for Nebraska and struck out 7, only walking 2. However, her bugaboo, the long ball, reared its face again as she gave up a pair of homers among her 7 hits allowed. So when the Huskers entered the bottom of the 6th with the lead, there was little doubt who would be coming in to close things out – none other than Frahm who would nab her school record and nation-leading 10th save.
This after getting her 16th win as starter earlier in the day. If the Big 10 Network is to be believed, she ran the Huskers record to 12-0 when she comes in to protect a Jensen lead. Now THAT’s mentorship.
On a day where the Husker bats did not look well until the late-inning onslaught, only Kacie Hoffman managed more than one hit, but she delivered when it mattered most with the bases full and lit the fuse which torched the home team and ran them to 0-8 vs. ranked opponents.
And left them having received a masterclass lesson in controlling one’s destiny.
The Huskers ran their record to 42-6 overall and 22-1 in the conference with one game left tomorrow. They appear to be locked into first round NCAA hosting as well as a Super Regional should they be last team standing in round one, barring any slips.
The final game of this weekend’s series will begin at 11am CST on Sunday and will again be televised on the Big 10 Network. As always, it will also be aired on the Husker Radio Network with Nate Rohr on the call. You really can’t go wrong there
