As much as people think Jordy Frahm was unbeatable on the mound last season, I can assure you she was not.
There was the 1/3 of an inning 6-run beating at Ohio State. And there was a 3rd inning 5-run meltdown at Iowa City which included her drilling 3 straight Hawkeyes – although I 100% understand the urge. And then she had similar experience last night in San Antonio being run after allowing 6 runs in 3 innings against Texas in the 15-10 loss.
But if there’s one thing that all of these outlier performances
have in common, it’s a return to All-American for Jordy in her very next appearance and Saturday afternoon was no different. When start Alexis Jensen struggled, Frahm moved from 1st base to the circle replacing her in the bottom of the 4th with an 8-5 lead (more on that below).
She gave up an immediate double to Jaycie Nichols. After a strikeout, the speedy Kayden Henry bunted her way on and then promptly stole 2nd putting runners on 2nd and 3rd with one out.
Time to get to work. Frahm first struck out Viviana Martinez. Then Reece Atwood drove a ball to left which the charging Natalia Hill slid and caught to end the threat. In the bottom of the 5th, another bunt single and then a bad snap throw pickoff attempt put a Horns runner at 3rd again with one down. Liners to 2nd and right ended that scare. Jordy finally got a 3-up 3-down inning in the 6th.
Then she turned up the fire for the bottom of 7.
First it was a ground out to Lauren Camenzind at 2nd base. Then it was just mow them down time. Two straight strikeouts – and just coming right at Texas with the heat on the two-strike counts. Final line for Frahm: 4 IP 3 H’s scattered 5 K’s 0 BB’s.
Nebraska 8 #1 & defending national champ Texas 5
Look out, y’all.
But this wasn’t just the Jordy show…although she did get it started with her bat by blasting a 1-0 pitch well over the center field fence for a leadoff homer and a 1-0 lead. Ava Kuszak, who went hitless on Friday, immediately busted that streak with a 3-run shot to up the margin to 4.
Texas got 2 back in the bottom half, but Nebraska erupted again for 4 more runs in the 3rd, this time with Emmerson unloading a long 3-run shot of her own followed by Lauren Camenzind going deep for the second time in two days. The Huskers took an 8-2 lead, but Texas again got to Jensen in the bottom cutting the lead to 8-5 courtesy of yet another 3-run homer, this time by Leighann Good.
But that would do it for both teams and Nebraska would grab a huge signature win in their first of several weekends of murderer’s row competition.
Alexis Jensen after a Jekyll (10 K’s) and Hyde (4 HR’s surrendered) against Washington improved somewhat against the #1 Longhorns’ brutal lineup. She struck out 6 in 3 innings, while giving up 8 hits and, to be fair, there were a few bunts and bleeders in there. She did still get some pitches up in the zone deep into counts when a ball or a walk would’ve been fine. However, she cut the homers from 4 to 1 and clearly has elite stuff. She will improve.
The Husker bats showed they’re not dropping off in ‘26 after a historic 2025 as evidenced by strapping a combined 18 runs in the two games on Texas in addition to the 8 versus Washington. Ava Kuszak led the way Saturday with a 2-for-4 3-RBI 2-run day.
The Huskers looked much cleaner in the field, but Jessie Farrell was a little shaky – she needs to improve on blocking pitches in the dirt to keep those in front of her. But she has a cannon and has been very close to picking runners off of first base with snap throws after the pitch. Those will come. Lauren C. with her pair of homers and continued defensive work appears to have held onto the 2nd base job for now. I had wondered if previous 2-year starter Katelyn Caneda would mount a challenge.
The Huskers will finish out the season against host Texas-San Antonio tonight and a rematch with Washington tomorrow morning at 10:05 PM.
