No. 4 Nebraska crushes Oklahoma State in first home Super Regional win

Nebraska did more than win a Super Regional opener; it looked like a program built to keep playing in June. Behind Jesse Farrell’s five RBIs and Jordy Frahm’s complete-game work, the No. 4 seed pounded No. 13 Oklahoma State 8-1 at Bowlin Stadium and moved one victory from its first Women’s College World Series trip since 2013.

The result carried extra weight because Nebraska was hosting its first home Super Regional in program history after earning the No. 4 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament and finishing the regular season 46-6. The Huskers entered the matchup at 49-6, improved to 50-6 with the win and extended their program-record streak to 25 straight victories. The opener also resumed nearly 20 hours after severe weather halted play Thursday night, when the teams had only gotten through the top half of the first inning and two batters in the second.

When the game restarted Friday, Nebraska quickly turned control into separation. Farrell delivered the key blow with a three-run home run and finished 2 for 4 with five RBIs, while Ava Kuszak, Kacie Hoffmann and Bella Bacon also drove in runs. Kuszak and Samantha Bland added doubles as Nebraska built a seven-run cushion before Oklahoma State scored. The only Cowgirl run came on Karli Godwin’s solo home run in the sixth inning, long after the outcome had been decided.

Frahm made the offensive surge stand up with a complete game, allowing one run and five hits while striking out seven to improve to 20-4. The line mattered as much for what it said about Nebraska’s ceiling under pressure as for the numbers themselves: the Huskers handled the stop-start rhythm, punished a shaky circle and protected the lead without inviting late drama. That is the profile of a team that can threaten a title run.

For Oklahoma State, now 41-16, the path back is narrow. Ruby Meylan was tagged for seven earned runs in two innings, and RyLee Crandall, Makala Smith and Preslee Downing had to finish the game after the damage was done. The Cowgirls, who split two regular-season meetings with Nebraska before weather wiped out the third, now had to win Game 2 on Saturday at 4 p.m. CT on ESPN to keep their season alive. Nebraska, already proven in regional play after beating Grand Canyon 1-0 to advance, left little doubt that its pitching, situational hitting and game control had traveled with it to the postseason.