Wisconsin Wins Resumed Game Two, 4-1

Saturday, April 30

Madison, WI

11 a.m. CT

Northwestern

21-24, 11-8

Wisconsin

27-20-1, 10-8-1

Northwestern

Wisconsin

4/30/2016 12:07:00 PM | Softball

Box Score

MADISON, Wis. – In a game was started Saturday and suspended by rain with Northwestern trailing Wisconsin 2-0 in the second inning, the Wildcats were unable to rally against the Badgers when festivities resumed Sunday morning at Goodman Diamond, resulting in a 4-1 NU loss.

Northwestern's record on the season now stands at 21-24, 11-8 in the Big Ten. Wisconsin is 27-20-1, 10-8-1 in the league. The two teams will play the third and final contest in this series immediately.

One day after the Wildcats opened the scoring in the first inning, the Badgers jumped out in front in the initial frame Saturday. The first two batters to the plate reached against starter Kristen Wood and moved up a base on a passed ball. Wisconsin then executed a squeeze bunt that brought one runner home, but the throw to first skipped into right field to allow the other to cross the plate as well.

Fran Strub led off the top of the second with a base hit, but did not get any farther than second base. Prior to the bottom of the second, with the persistent drizzle that had been falling since first pitch intensifying with no end in sight, the game was suspended until Sunday.

Play resumed Sunday morning after a 23 hour, 18 minute delay, and the Wildcats battery made quick work of the bottom of the Badgers order. Wood fanned a pair, and catcher Sammy Nettling threw a one-out walk out trying to steal to send the contest into the third.

Wisconsin senior Taylor Paige-Stewart entered the circle in relief of the starter Kirsten Stevens to begin the top of the third. Morgan Nelson singled off her with one out, moved to second when an Andrea Filler grounder resulted in an error and then to third when Nettling drew a two-out, bases-loading walk. TPS recovered, though, to get a ground ball that ended the inning.

The Badgers led off the bottom of the third with a solo home run and a walk. Brooke Marquez at second helped to limit the damage in the frame by turning a heads-up 4-3 double play, keeping the Wildcats deficit at three runs, 3-0, heading to the fourth.

In the top of the fifth, Northwestern got on the board. Sabrina Rabin reached an error, ending up at third on the play. Nelson then lined a double to the fence in center to make it a 3-1 contest, but that run is all NU could muster in the inning.

The Wildcats got a one-out Marquez double in the sixth, but again the Badgers bore down and kept that runner there, keeping the home team's 3-1 advantage intact before Wisconsin rallied again in the bottom of the inning. A one-out single then an error put runners at the corners, and freshman Kaley Winegarner entered the circle in relief of Wood. A grounder to short brought one run home before the inning ended with the Badgers on top, 4-1.

In the bottom of the seventh, Rabin led off with a single into left. Wisconsin did not allow a rally to take place, however, robbing a one-out single from Filler with a diving catch in left field.

Wood (3-6) took the loss, allowing four runs (just one earned) on four hits and four walks with six strikeouts. Winegarner tossed two-thirds of an inning in relief, walking one.

Nelson led NU at the plate with two hits including an RBI double.

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