Saturday, February 13
Tempe, Ariz.
3:30 p.m. CT/2:30 p.m. MT
Northwestern
2-1
2
vs
8
Tennessee
4-2
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
R
H
E
Northwestern
0
0
2
0
0
0
0
2
4
4
Tennessee
1
3
0
1
3
0
X
8
8
1
Photo by: Stephen J. Carrera
Wildcats Take First Loss of Year to No. 8 Volunteers, 8-2
2/13/2016 6:33:00 PM | Softball
TEMPE, Ariz. – Northwestern spotted No. 8 Tennessee four unearned runs early Saturday in a matchup at the Kajikawa Classic, and the Volunteers were able to pull away for an 8-2 victory over the Wildcats.
Northwestern's first loss of the season drops it to 2-1 on the year. Tennessee now already has completed its six-game Kajikawa Classic schedule with a 4-2 record after falling yesterday to Fresno State and No. 22 Arizona State.
Northwestern still has two games left to play tomorrow in the form of a 10 a.m. CT/9 a.m. CT doubleheader against Bradley and No. 6 Oregon.
The Wildcats committed four errors in the first two frames, including a trio in a three-run Tennessee second inning. Though NU cut that deficit in half with a two-run home run in the third, the Volunteers pulled away in the later stages of the contest.
Tennessee scored an unearned run in the bottom of the first after two singles got runners to first and third and an error occurred on the ensuing double steal attempt. Later with runners still in scoring position, senior Aubrie May made an athletic play at first to stab a grounder and end the inning.
Northwestern loaded the bases with a little help from Tennessee in the top of the second. Senior Amy Letourneau was hit by a pitch and sacrificed over by sophomore Sammy Nettling. Senior Brianna LeBeau then put a pop-up in play that the pitcher missed, but Letourneau was caught off second base to leave NU with LeBeau at first and two outs in the inning. May then singled and sophomore Brooke Marquez hit a grounder to third that fielder tried to take to the bag, but LeBeau beat her to load the bases. The Volunteers were able to escape with a pop-up and keep the Wildcats off the board.
Two Wildcats errors contributed to a trio of unearned Vols runs in the bottom of the second to give the home team a 4-0 lead before NU bit back in the third. Sophomore Sabrina Rabin led off with a single and stole second, then senior Andrea Filler hit the poop out of the ball for her third home run of the year, cutting the Wildcats' deficit in half, 4-2.
Filler's blast was her third of the year in three games, the 21st of her Northwestern career and the 29th of the Boston College transfer's college career.
In the bottom of the fourth, Tennessee got one run back with a pair of singles sandwiching a sacrifice bunt, extending its lead back out to three. The Volunteers struck a big blow in the fifth with a three-run home run to make it 8-2. When the next batter reached, freshman Kaley Winegarner came into the circle to relieve the starter Letourneau, and was able to strand a pair with a backward K.
Nettling started a two-out rally in the top of the sixth with a single. LeBeau was hit by a pitch to push pinch runner Abbey Boyd to second, but May's full-count fly ball to left field was caught to end the threat.
Winegarner ably completed her relief duties with a sensational sixth, ending the inning with another strikeout. Northwestern was unable to put together a seventh-inning comeback beyond a one-out Krista Williams single, however, to fall for the first time this season.
Letourneau (1-1) took the loss, going 4.1 innings and allowing eight runs (four earned) on eight hits and four walks. Winegarner tossed 1.2 innings of scoreless relief, giving up a hit and walk with two strikeouts.
Northwestern's first loss of the season drops it to 2-1 on the year. Tennessee now already has completed its six-game Kajikawa Classic schedule with a 4-2 record after falling yesterday to Fresno State and No. 22 Arizona State.
Northwestern still has two games left to play tomorrow in the form of a 10 a.m. CT/9 a.m. CT doubleheader against Bradley and No. 6 Oregon.
The Wildcats committed four errors in the first two frames, including a trio in a three-run Tennessee second inning. Though NU cut that deficit in half with a two-run home run in the third, the Volunteers pulled away in the later stages of the contest.
Tennessee scored an unearned run in the bottom of the first after two singles got runners to first and third and an error occurred on the ensuing double steal attempt. Later with runners still in scoring position, senior Aubrie May made an athletic play at first to stab a grounder and end the inning.
Northwestern loaded the bases with a little help from Tennessee in the top of the second. Senior Amy Letourneau was hit by a pitch and sacrificed over by sophomore Sammy Nettling. Senior Brianna LeBeau then put a pop-up in play that the pitcher missed, but Letourneau was caught off second base to leave NU with LeBeau at first and two outs in the inning. May then singled and sophomore Brooke Marquez hit a grounder to third that fielder tried to take to the bag, but LeBeau beat her to load the bases. The Volunteers were able to escape with a pop-up and keep the Wildcats off the board.
Two Wildcats errors contributed to a trio of unearned Vols runs in the bottom of the second to give the home team a 4-0 lead before NU bit back in the third. Sophomore Sabrina Rabin led off with a single and stole second, then senior Andrea Filler hit the poop out of the ball for her third home run of the year, cutting the Wildcats' deficit in half, 4-2.
Filler's blast was her third of the year in three games, the 21st of her Northwestern career and the 29th of the Boston College transfer's college career.
In the bottom of the fourth, Tennessee got one run back with a pair of singles sandwiching a sacrifice bunt, extending its lead back out to three. The Volunteers struck a big blow in the fifth with a three-run home run to make it 8-2. When the next batter reached, freshman Kaley Winegarner came into the circle to relieve the starter Letourneau, and was able to strand a pair with a backward K.
Nettling started a two-out rally in the top of the sixth with a single. LeBeau was hit by a pitch to push pinch runner Abbey Boyd to second, but May's full-count fly ball to left field was caught to end the threat.
Winegarner ably completed her relief duties with a sensational sixth, ending the inning with another strikeout. Northwestern was unable to put together a seventh-inning comeback beyond a one-out Krista Williams single, however, to fall for the first time this season.
Letourneau (1-1) took the loss, going 4.1 innings and allowing eight runs (four earned) on eight hits and four walks. Winegarner tossed 1.2 innings of scoreless relief, giving up a hit and walk with two strikeouts.
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Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Erin Gabriel (2-1)
L: Letourneau, Amy (1-1)
Batting:
HR: Filler, Andrea 1
RBI: Filler, Andrea 2
SH: Nettling, Sammy 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Rabin, Sabrina 1 ; Filler, Andrea 1
SB: Rabin, Sabrina 1
HBP: Letourneau, Amy 1 ; LeBeau, Brianna 1
Batting:
2B: Aubrey Leach 1
HR: Megan Geer 1
RBI: Megan Geer 4 ; Meghan Gregg 1 ; Gretchen Aucoin 1 ; Lexi Overstreet 1
SH: Shaliyah Geathers 2 ; Aubrey Leach 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Megan Geer 4 ; Shaliyah Geathers 1 ; Scarlet McSwain 2 ; Aubrey Leach 1
SB: Megan Geer 1 ; Meghan Gregg 1 ; Brooke Vines 1
HBP: Shaliyah Geathers 1 ; Gretchen Aucoin 1 ; Scarlet McSwain 1
Game Leaders
Hitting
AB
3
R
1
H
1
RBI
2
AB
2
R
0
H
1
RBI
0
AB
3
R
0
H
1
RBI
0
lf/rf
AB
3
R
0
H
1
RBI
0
Players Mentioned
OF
/ SoftballIF
/ Softball
IF/OF
/ Softball
P/1B
/ Softball
IF
/ SoftballIF
/ SoftballC
/ Softball
OF
/ SoftballOF
/ Softball
P
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