Northwestern Drops Tight NCAA Opener to Kentucky, 5-4

SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- Northwestern and Kentucky battled through an entertaining, back-and-forth game to open the 2015 NCAA South Bend Regional Friday, with the SEC Wildcats taking a 5-4 lead with a pinch-hit single in the bottom of the sixth before thwarting a bases-loaded rally by NU in the seventh.

Northwestern (28-22) now returns to action in the loser's bracket at 2 p.m. CT/3 p.m. ET against the loser of tonight's Ball State vs. Notre Dame matchup. Kentucky (30-24) will play the winner of that contest at 11 a.m. CT/noon ET tomorrow in the winner's bracket of the double elimination Region.

Last season at the Seattle Regional, Northwestern also dropped its first game before storming back with a pair of victories to make the Regional final.

Just two batters reached base for either team through the first three innings, and they were Northwestern's Andrea Filler (Fort Wayne, Ind./Bishop Dwenger) and Sammy Nettling (Tucson, Ariz./Canyon del Oro) on a two-out walk and single, respectively, in the top of the first.

Kentucky's ace Kelsey Nunley struck out the side in the top of third followed by NU's Kristen Wood (Trevor, Wis./Wilmot Union) returning the favor in the bottom half. Then, in the top of the fourth, Northwestern had the first shot at scoring. Filler led off the inning with a single and moved to second on a productive Nettling groundout. Julia Kuhn (Middletown, N.J./Middletown South) then shot a single back through the middle, but the centerfielder threw a strike home to the waiting catcher camped on the plate to retire Filler and keep the contest scoreless.

Kentucky took advantage to take the game's first lead in the bottom of the fourth, getting its first hit and base runner with one out in the frame. The next Wildcat to the plate doubled to open the scoring before a two-out #B1GCats error extended Kentucky's cushion to 2-0.

Northwestern responded in a big way, breaking through for a four-spot in the top of the fifth. Senior Olivia Duehr (Antioch, Ill./Antioch) led off the inning with a laser into left for a single, giving way to pinch runner Krista Williams (Pleasanton, Calif./Amador Valley). Anna Edwards (La Canada, Calif./La Canada) then worked a full count walk to push Williams to second before Brooke Marquez (Garden Grove, Calif./Pacifica) executed a perfect sacrifice bunt.

Later, with two outs, senior Andrea DiPrima (Arlington Heights, Ill./Buffalo Gove) lined a single off the glove of the diving shortstop to drive both Williams and Edwards in, tying the game 2-2. Fran Strub (Coralville, Iowa/Clear Creek Amana) came in to run for DiPrima, and the inning did not end there. Filler stepped to the plate and dumped a ball down the line in right field that got by the fielder for a single and a two-base error, allowing Strub to come all the way home and Filler to reach third base. Nettling then put the finishing touches on the outburst with a single back through the middle to put NU on top, 4-2.

Kentucky was able to strike back to tie the game in the bottom of the fifth on two-out, two run home run, then the SEC Wildcats scratched across a fifth run in the bottom of the sixth on a two-out pinch-hit single.

With NU needing a run in the top of the seventh, Sabrina Rabin (St. Charles, Ill./St. Charles North) got on base courtesy of a one-out error on a ball drilled at the third baseman. She then moved to second on a DiPrima groundout. Now with two outs in the inning, Filler drew a walk before Nettling put a ball in play that the third baseman could not record an out on, loading the bases via the fielder's choice. Kentucky and its reliever, Meagan Prince, who entered in the sixth, were able to escape, however, to win the game, 5-4.

Wood (16-10) took the loss, allowing five runs (four earned) on seven hits and no walks with seven strikeouts. Filler was 2-for-2 at the plate with two walks while Nettling had a pair of hits and DiPrima drove in two.

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Team Stats

Andrea Filler

Sammy Nettling

Andrea DiPrima

Julia Kuhn