BOX SCORE

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Almost five and a half hours after the start of the Gamecocks' first-round game with Nebraska in Friday's NCAA Knoxville Regional, the Huskers plated two runs in the top of the ninth to pull off a 4-2 upset of the Gamecocks at Lee Stadium.

In a game that went into extra innings after being suspended for a three hour and eight minute rain and lightening delay, a pair of early unearned runs proved costly for the second-seeded Gamecocks (39-14). The No. 3 seed Huskers (35-17) snapped their two-game winning streak with the ninth-inning rally and advanced to face the winner of Friday night's game between host Tennessee and fourth-seeded James Madison.

The Gamecocks fall into the losers' bracket, where they will take on the loser of the late game on Saturday at 3 p.m. CT.

Senior Karla Pittman suffered a tough-luck loss after allowing four runs, just two earned, on eight hits in nine innings of work. The Huskers handed the North Canton, Ohio, native just her third loss in 18 decisions after failing to get a hit out of the infield until the eighth inning.

After four early JSU errors led to two unearned runs, Senior Allie Barker kept the Gamecocks' hopes alive in the bottom of the sixth with a solo home run that turned a 2-1 deficit into a 2-2 tie. The Gamecocks had a chance to win it in the bottom of the seventh, but lightening entered the area and started what would turn into the delay of more than three hours.

Junior Nikki Prier went 2-for-4 for the Gamecocks, while senior Courtney Underwood drove in a run on a double in four at bats. Juniors Chrissy O'Neal and Hillary Downs and senior Jackie Jarman each recorded one hit in the loss.

Molly Hill (25-13) earned the win for the Huskers after surrendering two runs on seven hits in nine innings in the circle. The two batters in the top of the Nebraska lineup, Meghan Mullin and Darcy Rutherford, each went 2-for-4 to lead the Huskers at the plate.

Nebraska mounted its first threat in the top of the first, loading the bases with one out after a pair of JSU errors, but Pittman was able to strike out Julie Brechtel and Brittany Pascale to get the Gamecocks out of the jam.

The Gamecock offense got a run in the home half of the first, when Underwood ripped a two-out double off of the wall in left to score Barker from first.

The Huskers took advantage of another JSU fielding miscue in the second, when Heidi Foland led off the inning by reaching second on a Mary Beth Ledbetter throwing error. She was pushed to third on a sac bunt by Haley Long and scored on a Mullin infield single.

JSU's fourth error, a throw from Allison Svoboda that got away in the top of the sixth, allowed Rutherford to score after a leadoff single in the frame. The miscue put Nebraska ahead 2-1, but the Huskers' first lead of the day was short-lived. Barker tied the game at 2-2 in the home half of the inning with a leadoff blast that bounced off of the scoreboard in left.

A scoreless top of the seventh put the Gamecocks at the plate with a chance to win it in the home half of the frame, but with one out and pinch hitter Kayla Collins in the box lightening entered the area and delayed the game. Three hours and eight minutes later, Collins got the game back underway by grounding out to short. Downs followed with a ground out to second to send the game into extra innings.

Nebraska broke the tie in the top of the ninth, when the Huskers plated two runs on four hits that were sparked by RBI singles from Rutherford and Amanda Duran. The two runs were the first earned runs allowed by Pittman in the game and put the Gamecocks' backs against the wall headed into the bottom of the ninth, when the JSU offense went down in order.