Maryland softball has produced eight or more hits in six of its last seven contests. Coach Lauren Karn said her team “should be feeling good offensively” heading into this weekend’s series at Nebraska, but also noted the Cornhuskers’ pitching staff would be a “challenge.”

That challenge comes in the form of Jordyn Bahl. The right-hander is holding batters to just a .157 average, the lowest of qualifying pitchers in the Big Ten.

Bahl silenced the Terps’ bats, holding them to just one hit in their 6-0 loss to Nebraska on Friday. The junior threw a complete game and only let the Terps reach base six times at Bowlin Stadium.

After suffering an early season-ending injury in 2024, Bahl has bounced back splendidly this season and leads the Big Ten in strikeouts with 218. The 2023 Big 12 Pitcher of the Year at Oklahoma added two more to that total early, striking out back-to-back Terps (18-29, 3-17 Big Ten) with runners on the corners in the first inning. She ended the outing with nine punchouts.

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Maryland’s lone hit came from Mariah Penta, the Terps’ No. 9 batter. The sophomore’s chop-swing dropped the ball between the first and second basemen, allowing Penta to reach safely.

Penta was one of two Terps to not strike out against Bahl. The Terps’ best hitters went down swinging, as Sam Bean struck out twice and MacFarlane once. Maryland felt the absence of one of its best contact hitters, Bailey Murphy, who is still sidelined from an injury.

Maryland’s best chance came when Bahl walked the first two batters in the seventh, advancing the Terps to scoring position for the first time since the first inning. But two putouts and a final strikeout from the pitcher secured Nebraska’s (35-12, 14-5 Big Ten) shutout win.

Bahl caught Maryland’s bats looking on four of her nine strikeouts. She also assisted on four putouts.

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On the flip side, Maryland starter Julia Shearer only struck out one batter in five innings. The sophomore has become the Terps’ ace late in the season but couldn’t control Nebraska’s bats, allowing 12 hits and six runs across five innings.

Maryland’s defense backed up its starter with no errors, helping to avoid a mercy rule loss. The Terps’ best outfielder, Mazie MacFarlane, robbed Ava Bredwell of a home run in the fifth.

Bahl, batting leadoff for Nebraska, was just as deadly on offense. She crushed three hits and rocketed her 18th home run of the season over the left field fence in the sixth inning to take a 5-0 lead. The two-way starter was named one of 25 finalists for the 2025 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year award on Wednesday.

Bahl has thrown in at least two games of every Big Ten series. Her workload is unlikely to slow down as Nebraska fights to stay in the Big Ten’s top four and earn a bye in the conference tournament. The Terps are already statistically eliminated from postseason play.