NU Welcomes Back WCWS Wildcats, Nebraska Takes Game, 8-1

Saturday, April 16

Evanston, Ill.

1 p.m. CT

Northwestern

16-22, 7-6

Nebraska

27-14, 8-5

Nebraska

Northwestern

NU Welcomes Back WCWS Wildcats, Nebraska Takes Game, 8-1

4/16/2016 3:42:00 PM | Softball

Box Score

EVANSTON, Ill. – On a day when Northwestern welcomed back members of all five of its Women's College World Series teams for a reunion at Sharon J. Drysdale Field, Nebraska pulled away late to take an 8-1 decision off the Wildcats.

Northwestern now is 16-22 overall, 7-6 in the Big Ten. Nebraska is 27-14 on the season, 8-5 in the conference. The two teams meet in the series finale at noon tomorrow, Sunday, April 17.

The day began with a friends and family tailgate for the dozens of former Wildcats who returned to celebrate the program's storied history before an on-field pregame ceremony. Once the game began, however, the Cornhuskers took an early lead and plated five runs in the final two innings to take a 2-0 lead in the series.

Both teams recorded five hits in the game, but Nebraska's included two home runs and two doubles while Northwestern logged four singles among their quintet. A patient Huskers squad also drew 13 walks.

Nebraska logged a pair of home runs in the top of the second inning against NU starter Kenzie Ellis to take a 3-0 lead in the game. A walk followed the second four-bagger, leading to freshman Kaley Winegarner entering the circle in relief and retiring the first two Huskers she faced to end the inning.

Winegarner kept Nebraska guessing until Northwestern was able to get on the board in the bottom of the fourth thanks to a couple of Huskers miscues. With one out, Andrea Filler drew a walk and moved to second one out later when Sammy Nettling beat out the Wildcats; first hit of the game. Alcy Bush then came to the plate and the Huskers dropped not one, but two pop ups (the first of which was foul) for errors, allowing Filler to come racing home and put NU on the board, 3-1.

In the top of the fifth, Nebraska got runners to second and third with one out. Winegarner got a foul out and then a weak full-count grounder to Brooke Marquez at second to strand both and keep the NU deficit at two runs.

In the bottom half, the Wildcats rallied again when Krista Williams started things via an infield single. Sabrina Rabin sacrificed her to second before Morgan Nelson also singled on the infield to push Williams over to third with two outs. Filler just missed a ball in the RBI opportunity, sending a fly ball soaring quite high into centerfield where it was caught to end the inning.

With one out in the top of the sixth, Nebraska got its first base hit in 4.0 innings of relief from Winegarner -- a double that pushed a leadoff walk to third base. That lead Husker slid in safely on a wild pitch to re-establish Nebraska's three-run lead, 4-1, before a second double made it a 5-1 contest when the frame ended.

Nettling doubled for her second hit of the game in the sixth, and Abbey Boyd entered to pinch run for her. With two outs, Marquez smashed a grounder up the middle that the Nebraska shortstop lunged for and grabbed, completing the throw across the diamond to end the chance.

After a single and a walk to start the top of the seventh, Nicole Bond entered the circle in relief of Winegarner. The next two Huskers walked to force a run across and Ellis came back into the circle. Two more runs would score to account for the final 8-1 score.

NU did get runners on in the bottom of the seventh via a two-out Rabin single and a Nelson walk, but no more runs came home.

Ellis (6-6) took the loss, allowing three runs on two hits and five walks with two strikeouts in 2.1 innings. Winegarner went 4.2 frames, giving up four runs on three hits and six walks with a strikeout. Bond faced two batters in the seventh and was tagged for one run.

Nettling led NU at the plate with two hits including a double.

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