Saturday, February 27
Cathedral City, Calif.
Noon CT/10 a.m. PT
Northwestern
6-6
4
vs
5
Georgia
12-1
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
R
H
E
Georgia
1
0
0
0
1
0
3
5
9
1
Northwestern
0
0
0
3
1
0
0
4
8
4
Photo by: Stephen J. Carrera
No. 8 Georgia Comes Back in Seventh to Top Northwestern, 5-4
2/27/2016 2:40:00 PM | Softball
CATHEDRAL CITY, CALIF. – Northwestern took a 4-2 lead into the top of the seventh against No. 8 Georgia Saturday morning at the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic, but the Bulldogs stormed back with three runs in a two-out rally to defeat the Wildcats, 5-4.
Georgia improves to 12-1 win its win while Northwestern falls to 6-6 with the loss. Northwestern returns to action immediately against a different Bulldogs team, No. 20 Fresno State.
Georgia scored the game's first run on a two-out single in the top of the first that hit the first-base bag and ricocheted around in the outfield, allowing a runner to come around from second base.
The Wildcats and the Bulldogs each stranded a pair of runners in subsequent half-innings, and Georgia threatened to add to its lead again with a runner on in the third. The batter hit a towering fly ball to left that Krista Williams beat back on, catching it on a full sprint a split second before crashing through the temporary fence in left and hanging on to it to rob a home run. The play just happened to take place in front of #B1GCats alums Emily Allard and Kristin Scharkey, who went absolutely bonkers in celebrating the play with Williams.
With the deficit held at just a single run, freshman Morgan Nelson led off the bottom of the third with a single. She made it only as far as second base, however, before Georgia starter Brittany Gray escaped the inning.
Catcher Caylor Arnold threw out a runner attempting to steal to end the top of the fourth, then Northwestern built its best rally of the game in the bottom half to surge in front. Senior Amy Letourneau started the inning with a near home run, ripping a ball off the temporary fence netting in right field. Sophomore Abbey Boyd replaced her at first base, then moved to second one out later when Aubrie May laid down such a good sacrifice bunt that it went for a single. A passed ball moved both Wildcats up a base, allowing Brooke Marquez to send a fly ball deep enough to center to score Boyd and knot the game, 1-1.
Brianna LeBeau entered to pinch hit and battled her way through a lengthy at-bat to draw a walk. Fran Strub flexed into the lineup to run for LeBeau. Nelson came up to the plate and then, with an 0-2 count, deployed the most defensive of swings that somehow pushed the ball into right field for an RBI single. An error later in the rally on a Sabrina Rabin bunt allowed Strub to score, making it a 3-1 game before the inning came to a close.
The top of the fifth was wacky with three errors officially credited to Northwestern, but somehow Letourneau in the circle escaped with only one run across despite the tying run standing at third base with no outs.
Letourneau performed an encore to that pitching performance by leading off the bottom of the fifth with a massive solo home run to left center, re-staking the Wildcats to a two-run lead, 4-2. The shot was her third of the tournament, sixth of the season and the 35th of her career. The blast came against relief pitcher Chelsea Wilkinson, who replaced Gray to begin the inning.
Georgia got a leadoff single in the top of the sixth, but Letourneau retired the next three in a row. With the score the same in the top of the seventh, Georgia got a leadoff single before Letourneau retired the next two batters in order. A hit by pitch put another runner aboard, then the Bulldogs recorded three-straight singles to tie the game, 4-4, and load the bases, still with two outs.
Kristen Wood entered the circle in relief of Letourneau at that moment, but a wild pitch on the second throw allowed the Bulldogs to re-take the lead, 5-4. Wood kept the deficit at just a single run with a strikeout, but Northwestern could not get a base runner in the bottom half.
Letourneau (2-4) took the loss, allowing five runs (four earned) on nine hits and a walk with one strikeout. She also was 3-for-4 at the plate while Williams and Nelson each had two hits.
Georgia improves to 12-1 win its win while Northwestern falls to 6-6 with the loss. Northwestern returns to action immediately against a different Bulldogs team, No. 20 Fresno State.
Georgia scored the game's first run on a two-out single in the top of the first that hit the first-base bag and ricocheted around in the outfield, allowing a runner to come around from second base.
The Wildcats and the Bulldogs each stranded a pair of runners in subsequent half-innings, and Georgia threatened to add to its lead again with a runner on in the third. The batter hit a towering fly ball to left that Krista Williams beat back on, catching it on a full sprint a split second before crashing through the temporary fence in left and hanging on to it to rob a home run. The play just happened to take place in front of #B1GCats alums Emily Allard and Kristin Scharkey, who went absolutely bonkers in celebrating the play with Williams.
With the deficit held at just a single run, freshman Morgan Nelson led off the bottom of the third with a single. She made it only as far as second base, however, before Georgia starter Brittany Gray escaped the inning.
Catcher Caylor Arnold threw out a runner attempting to steal to end the top of the fourth, then Northwestern built its best rally of the game in the bottom half to surge in front. Senior Amy Letourneau started the inning with a near home run, ripping a ball off the temporary fence netting in right field. Sophomore Abbey Boyd replaced her at first base, then moved to second one out later when Aubrie May laid down such a good sacrifice bunt that it went for a single. A passed ball moved both Wildcats up a base, allowing Brooke Marquez to send a fly ball deep enough to center to score Boyd and knot the game, 1-1.
Brianna LeBeau entered to pinch hit and battled her way through a lengthy at-bat to draw a walk. Fran Strub flexed into the lineup to run for LeBeau. Nelson came up to the plate and then, with an 0-2 count, deployed the most defensive of swings that somehow pushed the ball into right field for an RBI single. An error later in the rally on a Sabrina Rabin bunt allowed Strub to score, making it a 3-1 game before the inning came to a close.
The top of the fifth was wacky with three errors officially credited to Northwestern, but somehow Letourneau in the circle escaped with only one run across despite the tying run standing at third base with no outs.
Letourneau performed an encore to that pitching performance by leading off the bottom of the fifth with a massive solo home run to left center, re-staking the Wildcats to a two-run lead, 4-2. The shot was her third of the tournament, sixth of the season and the 35th of her career. The blast came against relief pitcher Chelsea Wilkinson, who replaced Gray to begin the inning.
Georgia got a leadoff single in the top of the sixth, but Letourneau retired the next three in a row. With the score the same in the top of the seventh, Georgia got a leadoff single before Letourneau retired the next two batters in order. A hit by pitch put another runner aboard, then the Bulldogs recorded three-straight singles to tie the game, 4-4, and load the bases, still with two outs.
Kristen Wood entered the circle in relief of Letourneau at that moment, but a wild pitch on the second throw allowed the Bulldogs to re-take the lead, 5-4. Wood kept the deficit at just a single run with a strikeout, but Northwestern could not get a base runner in the bottom half.
Letourneau (2-4) took the loss, allowing five runs (four earned) on nine hits and a walk with one strikeout. She also was 3-for-4 at the plate while Williams and Nelson each had two hits.
••••••
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Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Wilkinson, Chelsea (6-0)
L: Letourneau, Amy (2-4)
Batting:
RBI: Puailoa, Kaylee 2 ; DiCarlo, Alyssa 1
SH: Sumerlin, Lacey 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Emanuel, Sydni 1 ; Dickey, Brea 1 ; Puailoa, Kaylee 1 ; LaZear, Samantha 2
SB: Emanuel, Sydni 2
CS: Sumerlin, Lacey 1
HBP: Iosefa, Tina 2
Batting:
HR: Letourneau, Amy 1
RBI: Letourneau, Amy 1 ; Marquez, Brooke 1 ; Nelson, Morgan 1
SF: Marquez, Brooke 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Letourneau, Amy 1 ; Boyd, Abbey 1 ; May, Aubrie 1 ; Strub, Fran 1
Game Leaders
Hitting
p/dp
AB
4
R
1
H
3
RBI
1
lf/rf
AB
4
R
0
H
2
RBI
0
AB
3
R
0
H
2
RBI
1
AB
3
R
1
H
1
RBI
0
Players Mentioned
C
/ Softball
OF
/ Softball
IF/OF
/ SoftballP/1B
/ Softball
IF
/ SoftballIF
/ SoftballIF/C
/ Softball
OF
/ Softball
OF
/ SoftballOF
/ Softball
P
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