Today’s MVP would probably have to be the fans, both Minnesota’s and Nebraska’s, who chose to brave this game live and in person. I mean, it wasn’t the Ice Bowl, but It was just one of those days with rain/lightning delay, so welcome to damp seats and 39 degree temps with steady winds out of the northwest, the kind of game which just eats at fans, especially the ones who dressed for a 50 degrees and windy.
Like the poor bastard who thought the hoody and t-shirt would be enough.
And like him, the other
Minnesota fans who sat through it had to be satisfied with the pride of supporting their team while trying to start those cars remotely to speed the feeling back into their fingers.
Yes, there are softball highlights.
Hannah Coor was the second batter of the day and she got the game-winning hit by parking a 2-0 Sidney Schwartz pitch off the wall in left field. The Huskers led 1-0 and didn’t know it at the time, but that was all Jordy Frahm would need.
But maybe they should have, because, going back to the Wisconsin series, Husker pitchers have now allowed only 2 runs in their last 26 innings, an insane ERA during that stretch of 0.54 if any other stats nerds are keeping score at home. Add to that Minnesota’s paltry hitting exploits this season and the cold day with the wind blowing in from the northwest and things probably went about as expected.
The Husker fans suffered the closest thing they had to a scary moment in the bottom of the first when Jordy slipped a little on a pitch and Coach Rhonda Revelle came out to make sure the landing area was fixed for a smooth slide. Anyone who saw Jordy Frahm tear her ACL a couple February’s ago was thankful for that fix.
The Huskers batters, however, kept on chipping away.
Frahm helped herself with a laser 2-out RBI single with runners on second and third and she probably would have knocked in another run if she’d taken something off of that swing. Yes, I’m not being serious, but I’m also not lying.
After the first two innings Schwartz managed to hold the Huskers down until the 6th when Lauren Camenzind also knocked one in with two out for a 3-0 lead. And then after Hannah Coor did nice job of disguising her bunt until the last second and beating it out without a throw, Hannah Camenzind did this. (That step forward can be a killer):
Never bet against Hannah C. action, especially when it’s back-to-back.
Jordy allowed consecutive hits in the bottom of the 7th, but a diving stab of a liner by Ava Kuszak took away what little steam Minnesota and their crowd had left in their sails. Jordy struck out the final hitter, because that’s what she always does, and the Huskers had a victory, Jordy had a 6-hit shutout and all the fans could go warm up.
Game 2 of the series will start at the changed time of 4pm CST Saturday and can be watched on B1G+ or listened to on the Huskers Radio Network.
