TUCSON, Ariz. – The Omaha softball team split a pair of games on the second day of the Hillenbrand Invitational. The Mavericks opened day with an 8-5 win over Purdue, before dropping the night cap in five innings to No. 13 Arizona 12-2. UNO is now 2-2 on the season and will wrap up tournament play on Sunday against Southern Utah at noon.
Omaha 8, Purdue 5
Omaha turned five Purdue errors into five unearned runs as the Mavericks won their second game of the season. Bailey Schulenberg led UNO at the plate with a pair of doubles and three RBI. Kelly Pattison and Sydney Hames each hit solo home runs.
Freshman Laura Roecker pitched a complete game to pick up her first collegiate win. Roecker allowed five runs on seven hits with five strikeouts and three walks.
Hames led off with a solo home run to start off the second inning. Megan May reached base on a fielding error by the Boilermakers. May came around to score on Schulenberg's double to center field. Purdue erupted for four runs in the bottom half of the second. The Boilermakers loaded the bases to start the inning on three straight singles. Lauren Stewart gave Purdue a 4-2 lead with her first career home run.
Omaha responded with four runs in the top of the third. Pattison opened the inning with a home run. Following a Purdue pitching change, Nicole Warren and Lizzie Noble each reached on infield errors. The Mavericks loaded the bases when Campbell Ditto was hit by a pitch. May drove in a run with a sacrifice fly to right field. Schulenburg doubled down the right field line to bring home Ditto and Noble. Purdue got a run back in the bottom of the third as Mary Gooding brought home Mallory Baker.
UNO added a pair of insurance runs in the top of the sixth. Kylie Schwarting and Lia Mancuso opened the inning with hits. Pattison advanced both runners with a sacrifice bunt. Schwarting scored on another Boilermaker fielding error and Mancuso came home on a wild pitch.
Omaha 2, No. 13 Arizona 12 (5 innings)
The Mavericks found themselves in hole early on as No. 13 Arizona scored seven runs in the first inning and three more in the second to take an early 10-0 lead.
Omaha put two runs on the board in the top of the third to cut Arizona's lead to eight, 10-2. Tara Trede led off with a single to left. Trede was forced out at second when Kelly Pattison hit into a fielder's choice. Nicole Warren brought home Pattison with her third home run of the season. Following Warren's home run, Lizzie Noble and Sydney Hames each singled, but Omaha was unable to add additional runs.
The Wildcats scored single runs in the bottom of the third and fourth to make the final score 12-2 in five innings.
Arizona's pitchers limited Omaha to four hits on the evening. Warren had a home run and two RBI. Noble, Hames and Trede each had singles for the Mavericks.
Abbie Clanton started for Omaha and was credited with the loss. Clanton pitched 2/3 of an inning allowing seven runs on six hits and two walks. Noble pitched the final 3.1 innings allowing five runs (four earned) on seven hits and two walks. She also had one strikeout.
