Sunday, April 3
Evanston, Ill.
1 p.m. CT
Northwestern
11-20, 2-4
10
vs
2
Minnesota
24-10, 5-1
1
2
3
4
5
R
H
E
Minnesota
0
0
2
0
0
2
3
0
Northwestern
3
3
3
0
1
10
13
0
Northwestern Dominates Finale With No. 21 Minnesota, 10-2 (5)
4/3/2016 4:15:00 PM | Softball
EVANSTON, Ill. – Northwestern saved its best for last Sunday, dominating the series finale against No. 21 Minnesota at Sharon J. Drysdale Field to walk off with a 10-2, five-inning, run-rule victory in the second game of a doubleheader.
Northwestern now is 11-20 overall, 2-4 in the Big Ten. Minnesota falls to 24-10 on the season, 5-1 in the conference. The Wildcats are next in action against Iowa April 8-10 at Sharon J. Drysdale Field. Grab season passes here!
Sunday's win was Northwestern's third of the year over a ranked opponent; previously NU defeated then-No. 11 UCLA and No. 2 Michigan. The game also marked the end of seven straight for the Wildcats against teams currently ranked among the nation's top-25.
After spotting Minnesota a lead in each of the first two games of this series, Northwestern jumped all over Gophers starter Nikki Anderson in Game Three. In the bottom of the first, Krista Williams started a rally with a one-out hit by pitch before moving all the way around to third when Morgan Nelson singled back through the middle. Amy Letourneau started the scoring with a deep sacrifice fly before Andrea Filler smoked a ball off the McGaw Hall wall for a two-run home run and a 3-0 Wildcats' lead.
The home run was Filler's team-leading eighth of the season, the 26th of her Northwestern career and the 34th of her collegiate career.
Northwestern starter Letourneau needed just four pitches for a perfect top of the second, then the Wildcats got back on the rally horse in the bottom half. Both Fran Strub and Sabrina Rabin ripped identical soft-liner singles into left field to start the frame, then one out later Minnesota swapped Kylie Stober into the circle in place of Anderson. Nelson greeted her with a single into right to load the bases before Letourneau again started the scoring with a single into left, bringing one run across. Sammy Nettling followed by ripping a line drive toward second that bent the fielder's glove back on its way into right field, plating two more for a 6-0 Northwestern lead entering the third inning.
The Gophers responded in the top of the third. The leadoff batter notched a solo home run to put the visitor's on the board, then Minnesota proceeded to load the bases with one out. Letourneau escaped with just one more run allowed via an RBI groundout, keeping NU on top by four, 6-2.
Brooke Marquez ensured the Wildcats did not rest on their laurels in the bottom of the third, starting the inning off with a resounding double to the fence in left. Strub followed with a sleight-of-hand single that dribble by two Minnesota fielders on its way into right field, allowing Marquez to race all the way around for a 7-2 score. With two outs, Nelson knocked the snot out a pitch, sending it high off the McGaw Hall wall for a 9-2 edge after three innings.
Nelson's homer was her second of the day and her sixth of the season.
With the score the same in the bottom of the fifth, Strub came to the plate and swung at the first pitch, depositing it directly into Northwestern's Hype Squad in the right field bleachers for a walk-off run-rule victory.
Nelson was on absolute fire Sunday, finishing this game 3-for-3 with a home run, two RBIs and three runs scored. She also homered and doubled in Sunday's first contest. Nettling and Strub also were 3-for-3 in the second game, with Nettling driving in two and Strub bringing home a pair along with scoring twice herself. Williams scored two runs while Filler and Letourneau each drove in two.
In the circle, Letourneau went the distance to improve to 5-7 on the year. She allowed two runs on three hits with three walks and two strikeouts.
Northwestern now is 11-20 overall, 2-4 in the Big Ten. Minnesota falls to 24-10 on the season, 5-1 in the conference. The Wildcats are next in action against Iowa April 8-10 at Sharon J. Drysdale Field. Grab season passes here!
Sunday's win was Northwestern's third of the year over a ranked opponent; previously NU defeated then-No. 11 UCLA and No. 2 Michigan. The game also marked the end of seven straight for the Wildcats against teams currently ranked among the nation's top-25.
After spotting Minnesota a lead in each of the first two games of this series, Northwestern jumped all over Gophers starter Nikki Anderson in Game Three. In the bottom of the first, Krista Williams started a rally with a one-out hit by pitch before moving all the way around to third when Morgan Nelson singled back through the middle. Amy Letourneau started the scoring with a deep sacrifice fly before Andrea Filler smoked a ball off the McGaw Hall wall for a two-run home run and a 3-0 Wildcats' lead.
The home run was Filler's team-leading eighth of the season, the 26th of her Northwestern career and the 34th of her collegiate career.
Northwestern starter Letourneau needed just four pitches for a perfect top of the second, then the Wildcats got back on the rally horse in the bottom half. Both Fran Strub and Sabrina Rabin ripped identical soft-liner singles into left field to start the frame, then one out later Minnesota swapped Kylie Stober into the circle in place of Anderson. Nelson greeted her with a single into right to load the bases before Letourneau again started the scoring with a single into left, bringing one run across. Sammy Nettling followed by ripping a line drive toward second that bent the fielder's glove back on its way into right field, plating two more for a 6-0 Northwestern lead entering the third inning.
The Gophers responded in the top of the third. The leadoff batter notched a solo home run to put the visitor's on the board, then Minnesota proceeded to load the bases with one out. Letourneau escaped with just one more run allowed via an RBI groundout, keeping NU on top by four, 6-2.
Brooke Marquez ensured the Wildcats did not rest on their laurels in the bottom of the third, starting the inning off with a resounding double to the fence in left. Strub followed with a sleight-of-hand single that dribble by two Minnesota fielders on its way into right field, allowing Marquez to race all the way around for a 7-2 score. With two outs, Nelson knocked the snot out a pitch, sending it high off the McGaw Hall wall for a 9-2 edge after three innings.
Nelson's homer was her second of the day and her sixth of the season.
With the score the same in the bottom of the fifth, Strub came to the plate and swung at the first pitch, depositing it directly into Northwestern's Hype Squad in the right field bleachers for a walk-off run-rule victory.
Nelson was on absolute fire Sunday, finishing this game 3-for-3 with a home run, two RBIs and three runs scored. She also homered and doubled in Sunday's first contest. Nettling and Strub also were 3-for-3 in the second game, with Nettling driving in two and Strub bringing home a pair along with scoring twice herself. Williams scored two runs while Filler and Letourneau each drove in two.
In the circle, Letourneau went the distance to improve to 5-7 on the year. She allowed two runs on three hits with three walks and two strikeouts.
••••••
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Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Letourneau, Amy (5-7)
L: Nikki Anderson (4-3)
Batting:
HR: Sydney Fabian 1
RBI: Maddie Houlihan 1 ; Sydney Fabian 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Danielle Parlich 1 ; Sydney Fabian 1
HBP: Sara Groenewegen 1
Batting:
2B: Marquez, Brooke 1
HR: Nelson, Morgan 1 ; Filler, Andrea 1 ; Strub, Fran 1
RBI: Nelson, Morgan 2 ; Letourneau, Amy 2 ; Filler, Andrea 2 ; Nettling, Sammy 2 ; Strub, Fran 2
SF: Letourneau, Amy 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Rabin, Sabrina 1 ; Williams, Krista 2 ; Nelson, Morgan 3 ; Filler, Andrea 1 ; Marquez, Brooke 1 ; Strub, Fran 2
HBP: Williams, Krista 1
Game Leaders
Hitting
AB
3
R
3
H
3
RBI
2
AB
3
R
0
H
3
RBI
2
AB
3
R
2
H
3
RBI
2
AB
3
R
1
H
1
RBI
0
Players Mentioned
IF
/ Softball
P/1B
/ Softball
IF
/ SoftballIF/C
/ SoftballC
/ SoftballOF
/ SoftballOF
/ Softball
OF
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