Northwestern Holds On For 5-3 Win in Opener at Wisconsin

Friday, April 29

Madison, WI

3 p.m. CT

Northwestern

21-23, 11-7

Wisconsin

26-20-1, 9-8-1

Northwestern

Wisconsin

Northwestern Holds On For 5-3 Win in Opener at Wisconsin

4/29/2016 5:26:00 PM | Softball

Box Score

MADISON, Wis. – Northwestern jumped out to a fast 5-0 lead Friday in its Big Ten series opener at Wisconsin, then held on against a late Badgers rally to claim a 5-3 victory at Goodman Diamond.

Northwestern now is 21-23 overall on the season, 11-7 in the Big Ten. Wisconsin falls to 26-20-1, 9-8-1 in the league. The second game of the series has been moved up to 11 a.m. CT from the previously scheduled 2 p.m. CT first pitch due to precipitation in the forecast.

The Wildcats opened the scoring in the top of the first in vintage fashion. Reigning Big Ten Freshman of the Year Sabrina Rabin led off with a slap single high off the hard infield surface, stole second, moved to third on a productive Morgan Nelson groundout, then scored on a two-out Amy Letourneau single.

Northwestern took advantage of a pair of two-out Wisconsin errors in the top of the second to add to its lead. Both Alcy Bush and Krista Williams reached base on misplays by shortstop Ashley Van Zeeland before Rabin singled for the second time, loading the bases. Nelson then powered a ball off the handle of her bat and into center field for a two-run single, making the score 3-0.

Letourneau struck out the side in the bottom of the second to work around a one-out NU error, then benefitted from an error herself to start the next half inning. She hit a sharp grounder to third, but the throw was wild and Letourneau ended up on second base. Abbey Boyd came in to run for Letourneau and scored when Sammy Nettling slammed a double all the way to the fence in right center. Nettling would cross the plate later on in the frame on a Brooke Marquez single to push NU's lead out to 5-0.

Wisconsin kept NU off the board following the Wildcats quick outburst early in the contest, but Letourneau refused to allow the Badgers to even sniff the scoreboard until the sixth. She did not surrender her first base hit of the game until there was one out in the third, and she responded to that base knock by retiring the next nine Badgers in a row. In the bottom of the sixth, Wisconsin got its first run on a one-out solo homer. The next batter singled and eventually the Badgers got runners to second and third, but Letourneau recorded her ninth K of the contest to send NU to the seventh up 5-1.

In the bottom of the seventh, the leadoff batter battled Letourneau through a nine-pitch at-bat to draw a leadoff walk. After a little pop out on the infield, the next Badger beat out a bunt single. Letourneau got her 10^th strikeout of the contest for the second out of the frame, but a pair of two-out singles cut Northwestern's lead down to two runs, 5-3. With Wisconsin's best power hitter at the plate as the winning run, Letourneau caught her looking to end the game with her 11^th strikeout, matching her 2016 season high.

Letourneau (10-9) got the win with her 11 Ks, allowing three runs on six hits and three walks. She also led NU at the plate with three hits while Rabin added two hits and Nelson recorded two RBIs for the sixth-straight game.

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