PISCATAWAY, N.J. --  Rutgers softball split Saturday's doubleheader with Nebraska as the Cornhuskers took game one 8-1 before the Scarlet Knights powered back with 10 hits, including a trio of home runs, to take game two, 10-6, at the Rutgers Softball Complex
 

Nebraska 8, Rutgers 1

STANDOUT STATS

• Sophomore Kiersten Withstandley punched in the lone Rutgers run and finished the afternoon 2-for-3 at the plate.
• Sophomore lefty Jaden Vickers came into the circle in the second inning and finished out the contest with a trio of strikeouts allowing three runs on six hits.

THE RUNDOWN

• The Cornhuskers jumped on starter Ashley Hitchcock early. Cam Ybarra's sacrifice fly to centerfield put Nebraska up 1-0 and two batters later the bases were loaded for a grand slam to left-center by Petyon Glatter for a 5-0 lead.
• Rutgers thwarted the shutout in the bottom of the third. Withstandley scored Gabrielle Callaway on a single to center.
• Nebraska tacked on three more runs with two at the following at bat in the fourth and another run in the sixth. 

Rutgers 10, Nebraska 6

STANDOUT STATS

• The Scarlet Knights went over the fence three times in snapping a three-game skid to take the nightcap.
• Fifth-year Anyssa Iliopoulos notched her 25^th career home run and posted two runs and two RBIs in helping Rutgers to a 2-1 lead after one inning of play.
• Gabrielle Callaway knocked in four runs and added two of her own thanks in part to her third home run of the year – a grand slam – that pushed Rutgers ahead for good in the bottom of the fifth. The graduate student ended the contest going 2-for-3.
• Freshman Kayla Bock also went deep for her first Scarlet Knight dinger to add an insurance run in the sixth. The rookie was 2-for-4 with three runs batted in.
• Ashley Hitchcock got her second win of the season throwing the final 3.1 innings, fanning a pair of Cornhuskers.

THE RUNDOWN

• Nebraska took another early lead, but this time Rutgers responded immediately.
• The Cornhuskers went up 1-0 to open walking in a run. With the bases continuing to be loaded, the Scarlet Knights were able to get out of the top half of the inning thanks in part to Payton Lincavage taking out a Cornhusker at home.
• Illipoulos followed lifting the Scarlet Knights a 2-1 lead with her first home run of the year just inside the left field foul pole. The dinger was the 25th of her career.
• The visitors tied the ballgame in the top of the third as Tristen Edward led off with a solo shot to left.
• Rutgers punched back with a pair of runs in their next trip to the plate go back in front, 4-2, on a bases-loaded double for Bock with two away.
• Nebraska collected three runs on two hits to take a 5-4 edge in the top of the fourth. With two outs and Cornhuskers on all three bases, Tristen Edwards walked in a run and Ybbara followed with a two-RBI extra-base hit.
• With two outs at the bottom of the inning, the Scarlet Knights tied the game up on a Kiersten Withstandley single to short.
• RU broke the 5-5 tie in the fifth as Callaway took a long ball straight into center field for the Scarlet Knights' first grand slam since March 16, 2019.
• While Nebraska's Ybarra ended the day 4-for-4 adding her third RBI with a single in the top of the sixth, the Scarlet Knights were not done going over the outfield wall and got the run back. Bock took the first pitch and blasted it into center.  
   

SATURDAY DOUBLEHEADER HIGHLIGHTS

 

UP NEXT

The Scarlet Knights wrap up the Nebraska series on Sunday at 11 a.m.

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