Sunday, February 21
Chapel Hill, N.C.
9 a.m. CT/10 a.m. ET
Northwestern
5-4
2
vs
3
Boston College
4-6
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
R
H
E
Northwestern
0
0
0
1
0
1
0
2
3
2
Boston College
0
0
3
0
0
0
X
3
6
1
Northwestern Drops Final Challenge Game to BC, 3-2
2/21/2016 11:14:00 AM | Softball
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. -- One rough inning for Northwestern gave Boston College a 3-0 lead Sunday at the Big Ten/ACC Challenge, and the Wildcats comeback efforts fell a single run short in a 3-2 loss to the Eagles.
Northwestern finished the Big Ten/ACC Challenge with a 2-2 record and now is 5-4 overall on the season with the loss. Boston College improves to 4-6 with the win. NU travels next week to the star-studded Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic in Cathedral City, Calif.
Boston College had the threats early in this one. In the bottom of the first, Krista Williams fired a bullet to the plate from right field to nail a runner and end that frame before, in the second, with runners at second and third and two outs, Morgan Nelson snagged a line drive at third to keep the contest scoreless.
In the bottom of the third, BC took the lead with a leadoff walk followed by an error and a double to make the score 2-0. Junior Nicole Bond entered the circle in relief of starter Kenzie Ellis at that point, allowing one more run to come home on a wild pitch before ending the rally with NU's deficit at 3-0.
After Northwestern did not get a base runner in its first trip through the order, the Wildcats had better luck the second time around. Williams led off the top of the fourth with a single and stole second. One out later, Andrea Filler doubled into the right-centerfield gap to put NU on the board. The next two batters battled through nine- and eight-pitch at-bats, respectively, but each fell on strikes.
Boston College puts runners at first and third with two outs in the bottom of the fourth, leading to Amy Letourneau taking over in the circle for Bond. Letourneau coaxed a ground out to keep the Wildcats' deficit at just two runs.
Needing a spark on offense, the Wildcats got a big hit from a surprise source. With one out in the sixth, reigning Big Ten Freshman of the Year and owner of three career extra-base hits Sabrina Rabin stepped into a swing and shot the ball over the wall for a solo home run, cutting the NU deficit to a single run, 3-2, with the first dinger of her career.
Filler then walked and Boston College replaced starting pitcher Allyson Frei with Jessica Dreswick, who prompted hit Letourneau with a pitch. Two force outs at second base followed, keeping the Wildcats down by one.
Letourneau tossed perfect fifth and sixth innings to keep Northwestern close, but NU was unable to must a base runner in the seventh.
Ellis (1-1) took the loss, going 2.1 innings and allowing three runs (two earned) on five hits and a walk. Bond tossed 1.1 innings of relief, giving up one hit and two walk. Letourneau threw 2.1 perfect innings of relief, fanning a pair.
Northwestern finished the Big Ten/ACC Challenge with a 2-2 record and now is 5-4 overall on the season with the loss. Boston College improves to 4-6 with the win. NU travels next week to the star-studded Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic in Cathedral City, Calif.
Boston College had the threats early in this one. In the bottom of the first, Krista Williams fired a bullet to the plate from right field to nail a runner and end that frame before, in the second, with runners at second and third and two outs, Morgan Nelson snagged a line drive at third to keep the contest scoreless.
In the bottom of the third, BC took the lead with a leadoff walk followed by an error and a double to make the score 2-0. Junior Nicole Bond entered the circle in relief of starter Kenzie Ellis at that point, allowing one more run to come home on a wild pitch before ending the rally with NU's deficit at 3-0.
After Northwestern did not get a base runner in its first trip through the order, the Wildcats had better luck the second time around. Williams led off the top of the fourth with a single and stole second. One out later, Andrea Filler doubled into the right-centerfield gap to put NU on the board. The next two batters battled through nine- and eight-pitch at-bats, respectively, but each fell on strikes.
Boston College puts runners at first and third with two outs in the bottom of the fourth, leading to Amy Letourneau taking over in the circle for Bond. Letourneau coaxed a ground out to keep the Wildcats' deficit at just two runs.
Needing a spark on offense, the Wildcats got a big hit from a surprise source. With one out in the sixth, reigning Big Ten Freshman of the Year and owner of three career extra-base hits Sabrina Rabin stepped into a swing and shot the ball over the wall for a solo home run, cutting the NU deficit to a single run, 3-2, with the first dinger of her career.
Filler then walked and Boston College replaced starting pitcher Allyson Frei with Jessica Dreswick, who prompted hit Letourneau with a pitch. Two force outs at second base followed, keeping the Wildcats down by one.
Letourneau tossed perfect fifth and sixth innings to keep Northwestern close, but NU was unable to must a base runner in the seventh.
Ellis (1-1) took the loss, going 2.1 innings and allowing three runs (two earned) on five hits and a walk. Bond tossed 1.1 innings of relief, giving up one hit and two walk. Letourneau threw 2.1 perfect innings of relief, fanning a pair.
••••••
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Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Allyson Frei (3-3)
L: Ellis, Kenzie (1-1)
S: Jessica Dreswick (1)
Batting:
2B: Filler, Andrea 1
HR: Rabin, Sabrina 1
RBI: Rabin, Sabrina 1 ; Filler, Andrea 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Williams, Krista 1 ; Rabin, Sabrina 1
SB: Williams, Krista 1
HBP: Letourneau, Amy 1
Batting:
2B: Chloe Sharabba 1 ; Annie Murphy 1 ; Allyson Moore 1
RBI: Chloe Sharabba 1 ; Annie Murphy 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Loren DiEmmanuele 1 ; Chloe Sharabba 1 ; Annie Murphy 1
SB: Loren DiEmmanuele 2
Game Leaders
Hitting
rf/lf
AB
3
R
1
H
1
RBI
0
AB
3
R
1
H
1
RBI
1
AB
2
R
0
H
1
RBI
1
dp/p
AB
2
R
0
H
0
RBI
0
Players Mentioned
P
/ Softball
P
/ SoftballIF
/ SoftballP/1B
/ Softball
IF/C
/ SoftballOF
/ SoftballOF
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