Jordy Frahm smoked the 5th pitch of the game on a line you could’ve hung your damn laundry on over the left field fence, and, unfortunately for the Central Florida Knights, she followed that leadoff homer with a walk to the circle.
Then the pitching started and the Huskers never looked back on their way to a 6-0 victory.
Some worried the Huskers might look ahead of a dangerous UCF squad on Saturday. With #1 Texas Tech and NiJarre Canady awaiting them on Sunday, they probably wouldn’t have been blamed. However, their focus certainly appeared to be in the present as the squad put together a complete top to bottom effort.
Or where the the 1, 8 and 9 spots in the order – helmed by Frahm, Bella Bacon and Lauren Camenzind – was concerned, that group combined to go 6-for-7 with 2 doubles, two HR’s, a walk, a HBP and 5 RBI’s. Both jacks belonged to Frahm and made enough of an impression on the Knights that with runners on 1st and 2nd in the top of the 6th, they opted not to let her try for a third, choosing instead to give Jordy a free pass to load the bases. It worked as they escaped further damage.
In addition to her 1.000 OBP day at the plate, in the circle she threw a complete game shutout scattering 3 hits and striking out 7 while only walking one and retired 12 consecutive hitters at one point. It would be logical to expect to see her get some more work tomorrow against the Red Raiders. In the early innings, UCF appeared to have caught some signals as they were calling out pitches to their batters
If they had actually snagged some signs, it didn’t appear to do them much good.
If there was a potential down moment, it came after Sammie Bland came flying in from 3rd base to make an amazing diving catch of a popped up bunt. But when she got up, her shoulder appeared to be tender as the trainers and coaches took a long look. She went on to return to 3rd base and finish the inning but was replaced by Katelyn Caneda when her spot in the order came up in the top of the 3rd. She did not return and we’ll probably have to wait until pre-game tomorrow to get a report on the severity of the injury.
Speaking of Caneda, she saw her first extended action of the season and made the most of it. In her first at-bat, she caught a bad break absolutely blistering a low-liner up the middle, only to see it scooped for a 6-4-3 double play. However, in her final cut, she blasted a drive the other way over the left fielder’s head to the fence for her 100th career hit. Should Bland miss time, the Huskers will be in good hands.
Bella Bacon, who started slowly recovering from a back injury when the season kicked off, got her first start batting in the lineup and responded with a 2-for-3 day including a gapped double of her own to right center in her first trip to the plate. Having her on first base when Frahm pitches will further tighten up the defense.
Ava Kuszak is struggling both at the plate and in the field currently hitting .143 and responsible for 3 errors in the last 2 games. History says she will fix the hole in her swing and today her eye still gave her a .500 OBP while she drew 2 walks.
And if you read yesterday’s recap, you caught me calling out freshman Carlie Muhlbach as a rising star to watch. She did nothing to dissuade my opinion on Saturday, smoking shots to 3rd base and center, before she put one off the left field wall in her third trip and drawing another walk in her fourth. Let’s just say she might have played her way into both the DP spot and a Corn Nation article of her own this week.
Don’t be surprised to see her get her third straight start against the 2025 national runners-up tomorrow.
The Huskers will be yawning in classes Monday after catching a late Sunday night flight home from Clearwater, FL. But first, they have that game I may have mentioned a couple of times above. Tune in for the action on ESPN tomorrow at 5:00pm CST and if you’re on the road, catch Nate Rohr on the Huskers Radio Network. See y’all then.
Go Big Red.
