Skip to main content
All Huskers

Four Takeaways from No. 9 Nebraska Softball's Series Win Against No. 7 UCLA

Huskers earn first top-10 series win since 2013.
Maren Angus-Coombs|
Nebraska beat UCLA, 8-4, on Sunday to clinch the series.
Nebraska beat UCLA, 8-4, on Sunday to clinch the series. | Kenny Larabee, KLIN

In this story:

Nebraska CornhuskersNebraska CornhuskersUCLA BruinsUCLA Bruins

The ninth-ranked Nebraska Cornhuskers let the softball world know that they are for real, beating the No. 7 UCLA Bruins 8-4 on Sunday and clinching the series with the victory.

After beating the Bruins on Friday, freshman pitcher Alexis Jensen spun another gem on Sunday and beat UCLA for a second time.

Jensen (13-2) pitched 6.0 innings and allowed four runs on six hits, to go along with five strikeouts. Jordy Frahm closed the game with a scoreless seventh inning.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

At the plate, the Nebraska bats were hot. Hannah Camenzind, Ava Kuszak, Jensen and Frahm all homered with three of the four leaving the park in the second inning.

UCLA got on the scoreboard in the top of the first, loading the bases with one out but Jensen limited the damage to just one run.

Frahm tied the game at 1-1 with a leadoff home run to centerfield.

NU took over in the second, scoring six runs on three homers. Jesse Farrell reached on a single and Jensen followed with a 273-foot blast into the parking lot beyond the centerfield wall. Frahm singled, Hannah Coor walked and Hannah Camenzind extended the lead to five with a three-run shot to center. Kuszak followed with a solo shot to give NU a 7-1 advantage.

UCLA cut the deficit to 7-2 in the fourth.

Lauren Camenzind made it 8-2 with an RBI-single in the fifth.

UCLA got two runs back in the seventh before head coach Rhonda Revelle made the change in the circle, going with Frahm. A strikeout of Bri Alejandre ended the game and the series.

Here are four takeaways from the impressive three-game series for the Huskers.

Alexis Jensen is a Dawg

The Gretna, Neb., native continues to impress in her first season of college softball. She has a knack for delivering in big games and the series against UCLA was no different than her wins over top-ranked Texas and Texas Tech earlier in the season.

"She's a dog and I mean that in the best way," Revelle said. "D-A-W-G. “She’s a fighter and she just gave us everything she had all weekend long."

Jensen appeared in two games and pitched 11.0 innings. She only allowed 10 hits, five earned runs , and five free passes while holding UCLA's Megan Grant and Jordan Woolery to 3-for-12. Both Bruins have at least 20 home runs and did not have any against the lefty.

What might have been more impressive than her pitching was the thunderous home run Jensen hit on Sunday afternoon. The 273-foot bomb left the yard at 83 m.p.h. and cleared the back fence. Who knows if it has actually landed yet?

Jensen and Frahm are a Tough Combo

Jensen and Frahm were the only two pitchers to see time in the circle for the Huskers in the three games.

Frahm finished the weekend with a loss and a save. She pitched 10 innings and allowed six runs.

UCLA entered the series averaging nearly 12 runs per game (11.7), and the Huskers' one-two punch held the Bruins to 11 runs in three games.

“They’re a great tandem,” Revelle said. “When the year started, I didn’t know it would go like this, but the first game we did that (alternated pitchers), it was like, ‘Oh, there’s something going here.’”

The two complement each other well with Frahm from the right side and Jensen from the left.

“It’s the one-two punch, as you would say, or the two-one punch, whatever people want to call it,” Jensen said. “We complement each other so well.”

Hannah Coor Deserves Her Flowers

The senior outfielder, who transferred in from Oklahoma, has been a steady presence for the Huskers.

Coor isn't the home run hitter that some of her teammates are, even though she does have three on the season, but she consistently delivered for NU against UCLA.

The centerfielder was 4-for-7, including 4-for-4 through the first two games. She reached base eight times, earning four walks in the series.

Known for her defense more than anything, Coor was 6-for-6 in the series with a 1.000 fielding percentage.

"My favorite thing about softball is playing defense and we have a phenomenal outfield," Coor told Jessica Coody of the Huskers Radio Network. "We just have fun. It's a joy to be out there with those girls and anything that's hit out there, we are going to catch it."

Hosting Goals

Revelle set the schedule this season with the intent of hosting Regionals and Super Regionals.

If the series against UCLA was an audition, NU definitely got the callback. All the Huskers have to do is perform the rest of the season.

“Nobody will remember in a Super Regional if you lost game two if you win game three,” Revelle said. “I’m not trying to jump ahead and think that we’ve got one, but if you get a dress rehearsal at something like that against a team like that, it feels good.”

The crowd was unbelievable all weekend, setting a single-game attendance record on Saturday with 3,123. It was just the second crowd of 3,000-plus in program history. Overall, 8,383 fans entered the gates, setting a three-game series record.

“It just shows how much joy and love the fans see from us, and how they love showing up and watching us,” Jensen said. “It’s an honor to be a part of the record.”

Loading recommendations... Please wait while we load personalized content recommendations

Published
Maren Angus-Coombs
MAREN ANGUS-COOMBS

Maren Angus-Coombs was born in Los Angeles and raised in Nashville, Tenn. She is a graduate of Middle Tennessee State University and has been a sports writer since 2008. She has been covering college softball since 2016 and spent the 2023 season covering Husker Softball for Hail Varsity. In addition to All Huskers, she is a staff writer for the Los Angeles Sports Report.

Home/Softball