Iowa softball bounces back, sweeps Sunday doubleheader against Nebraska
Iowa softball took the series against Nebraska, 3-1, with two victories on Sunday.
May 9, 2021
After a dormant offensive performance Saturday afternoon, Iowa softball reignited its bats Sunday in a doubleheader sweep of Nebraska.
The Hawkeyes won the first game, 6-1, and the second game, 4-1. With the wins, Iowa took three out of four games against the Huskers, and now sit at 23-17 on the season.
The Hawkeyes and Huskers were initially scheduled to play a doubleheader on Saturday, but inclement weather in Iowa City postponed the second game to Sunday.
For head coach Renee Gillispie, it was the perfect time for the Hawkeyes to mentally reset.
“Making that switch, knowing we were going to have a good day today, was a smart move on our part,” Gillispie said. “[Nebraska head coach Rhonda Revelle] and I both talked about it, and it looked like it was just a better situation for us, and it was, it worked out really nice. I think we just needed to get the distractions away from us, and focused on what we needed to get done today.”
While the Hawkeyes only notched four hits Saturday afternoon, Iowa hung six runs in two innings on the Huskers in the first game of the doubleheader Sunday. Freshman first baseman/designated player Denali Loecker went 4-for-6 through both games.
“We just came out ready to fight,” Loecker said. “We kind of were down yesterday and had a few mistakes, so we were ready to bounce back. We don’t like to lose, so as a team we got together and put it to them.”
Senior right-handed pitcher Allison Doocy pitched her second complete game of the weekend Sunday afternoon, notching 11 strikeouts and one earned run on 132 pitches. The senior collected the win to improve to 10-4 on the season.
“I’m just so proud of where she’s come in probably the last eight games,” Gillispie said. “She’s really just found her stride, feeling very confident about her pitches right now, things are moving great for her, and it’s just being able to ride this season. She knows what’s on the line, and she knows all the pitchers have to be on board with making these wins. Like we saw today with Sarah getting five innings and Shaw closing up in the last two, it’s going to take all three of the pitchers to get us there.”
Senior right-hander Sarah Lehman and southpaw Lauren Shaw combined to pitch the second game of the doubleheader.
Lehman found herself in trouble early in the game, getting into a bases-loaded situation with one out in the first inning. But she escaped the first frame unscathed. In the second inning, Lehman left two runners on base with no runs.
Nebraska’s sole run of the second game came off a home run by right fielder Peyton Glatter in the sixth inning. Shaw replaced Lehman on the mound after the home run, and shut down the Husker offense to record her second save of the season.
“[Shaw, Lehman, and I] have an awesome dynamic,” Doocy said. “We’re all supportive of each other, and we want each other to succeed. All three of us had some great weekends and we’re excited to continue to work on things this week and get ready for Illinois next weekend.”
Iowa will finish the regular season against Illinois in a four-game series next weekend at Bob Pearl Field. The series is slated to start at 7 p.m. on Friday.