Nebraska waits out rain delay, 4-2

Nebraska's Darcy Rutherford put on quite a show during a three-hour, eight-minute rain delay, doing the Macarena among other dance routines with a few of her teammates.

Rutherford kept performing in this first-round NCAA Regional game at Lee Stadium when the game-resumed.

But this time, the Cornhuskers' home-grown senior put on a show with her bat, driving in the go-ahead run with a slap shot up the middle in Nebraska's 4-2 nine-inning win over Jacksonville State.

The Cornhuskers (35-17) play at 1:30 today against Tennessee. The winner of that game advances to a 2 p.m. title game Sunday.

The Gamecocks (39-14) play James Madison at 4 in an elimination game. The winner of that elimination game plays the loser of today's first game in an elimination game at 6:30 p.m.

"The crowd was going cra zy, and they seemed to like it,'' said Rutherford, an Omaha native who also scored two runs.

Nebraska coach Rhonda Revelle said it was good her players stayed loose during the delay, which came with one out in the seventh inning and the game tied at 2-2.

"I looked in the crowd and our red and the (Tennessee) orange were dancing together, and Darcy likes to dance,'' said Revelle, whose team was treated to a tour of Neyland Stadium and the basketball facilities. "I've always said Nebraska and Tennessee have a lot in common with our states revolving around our schools.''

Jacksonville State coach Jana McGinnis explained her team tried to stay focused during the delay.

"We're one of the only tournament teams that had already said our good-byes,'' said McGinnis.

"We got a new life in this tournament, and it's double-elimination, thank goodness,'' said Allie Barker, whose solo home run in the sixth tied the game at 2-2.

© 2009, Knoxville News Sentinel Co.
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