Nebraska Softball run-rules Iowa twice but falls 5-2 in series finale
Nebraska softball (28-10, 8-3) claimed a 2-1 series win over Iowa (22-14, 4-6) at Bob Pearl Softball Field in Iowa City, Iowa.
The Huskers won game one 12-0 in five innings on Friday, April 4. They strung together 12 runs off of seven hits. Iowa’s three pitchers gave up 10 walks and hit two batters with a pitch for 12 free bases. Right-handed pitcher Jordy Bahl struck out eight batters, walked two batters, and allowed three hits in the complete game.
On Saturday, Nebraska posted another run rule in five innings with a 14-1 victory. They recorded six home runs and 12 total hits. Kylee Magee earned the start, gave up one hit and one run, struck out four, and walked four in three innings. Hannah Camenzind finished the game, allowing one hit and striking out three.
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Iowa’s best performance was on Sunday, as they secured a 5-2 win. They scored five runs in the bottom of the third, capitalizing on pitching errors by Bahl.
Here are three takeaways from the weekend:
Breaking the run-rule record
Nebraska broke its run-rule record on Saturday. They posted their 18th run rule of the season for the most in Husker softball history.
The Huskers are one of the top 10 best-scoring offenses in the country. They average 8.38 runs per game and have scored 319 total in 2025.
NU is getting contributions from everyone on the roster. Seven Nebraska players have over 20 RBI, and seven have scored more than 20 runs.
Of course, pitching is critical in posting run rules. Bahl was great on Friday, striking out eight batters. Magee and H. Camenzind did a solid job holding Iowa to one run on Saturday. Magee is slowly returning to herself after a wrist surgery but has improved recently.
But Bahl uncharacteristically struggled on Sunday. Struggles on the mound make it nearly impossible to run-rule the other team. She gave up three hits, five unearned runs, walked two batters, and hit three in 2 2/3 innings. Magee took over to allow one hit and struck out two in 1 1/3 innings. Camenzind closed the game with one hit and walked two batters.
Tying the home run record(s)
Nebraska tied the program’s home run record on Saturday as well. They have 76 home runs in 2025. The record of 76 homers was set in 2022. The Huskers are on track to crush the single-season home run record as they have at least 12 games left.
The Huskers earned six home runs on Saturday which tied for the most homers in a game since Creighton in 1996.
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Third baseman Sammie Bland led the charge against Iowa. She record a career-high three home runs in game two for five RBI. Before Saturday, the sophomore had four home runs this season. Bland became the second Husker in 2025 to have three home runs in a game and the fourth in Husker history.
Shortstop Ava Kuszak leads Nebraska with 14 home runs, and Bahl is close behind with 12 dingers. Kacie Hoffmann, Abbie Squier and Bland have seven each. 14 different Huskers have hit a home run this season.
Squandering opportunities
The Huskers have dropped the third game in their last two Big Ten series. They fell to Iowa 5-2 on Sunday, April 6 and dropped a 6-2 game to Purdue on March 31. The Boilermakers beat Nebraska for the first time since 2021.
Nebraska started Bahl in the circle to hopefully overcome the third-game slump. But she gave up five unearned runs in the third inning.
The Huskers had a few opportunities to score but left runners on base. They scored two runs in the top of the third. But Emmerson Cope and Kuszak struck out looking with Hoffmann on third and Bacon on second. Kuszak was left on third in the top of the sixth. Bahl and Bland were in scoring position in the top of the seventh. Nebraska had their chances but didn’t capitalize.
Camenzind and Magee did a nice job keeping Iowa off the board in the final three innings. But Nebraska’s offense couldn’t overcome the five-run third inning.
The Big Ten standings are close at this point in the season. The Huskers are ranked fourth behind Oregon (9-1), UCLA (9-1) and Northwestern (8-2). Two of their conference losses came from teams with four conference victories.
