Saturday, April 9
Evanston, Ill.
1 p.m. CT
Northwestern
12-20, 3-4
13
vs
9
Iowa
9-24, 1-8
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
R
H
E
Hawkeyes
3
0
0
0
3
1
2
9
11
1
Northwestern
0
6
0
1
4
2
X
13
12
2
Letourneau's Big Day Leads #B1GCats Past Hawkeyes, 13-9
4/9/2016 3:32:00 PM | Softball
EVANSTON, Ill. – Northwestern senior Amy Letourneau finished two RBIs short of a double-double Saturday in the first game of a doubleheader at Sharon J. Drysdale Field, fanning 11 in the circle and matching her career high with eight RBIs at the plate to lead NU past Iowa, 13-9.
Northwestern now is 12-20 overall, 3-4 in the Big Ten after the win. Iowa drops to 9-24, 1-8 in the league with its loss. The two teams meet again immediately for the second game of this series.
Letourneau surpassed her season high for strikeouts, which previously was 10 in a game at North Carolina during the second weekend of the year. Her eight RBIs came on two home runs and a single, and tied her RBI performance against New Mexico State in a run-rule win February 26 at the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic.
Though Letourneau struck out the Iowa side in the top of the first, the Hawkeyes also recorded a single followed by a pair of home runs to take a quick 3-0 lead in the game.
In the bottom of the first, freshman Morgan Nelson worked a full-count, one-out walk before racing around to third base when Andrea Filler slotted her 11th double of the season just inside the left-field line. Iowa's starter Shayla Starkenburg bore down to erase Nelson at the plate on a comebacker before ending the threat with a strikeout.
Letourneau whiffed the side again in the top of the second, then the Northwestern attack began cashing in. Junior Alcy Bush started the bottom of the inning with a walk before Fran Strub received a one-out walk of her own. After Krista Williams loaded the bags with an infield single, the scoring fun got started with a Sabrina Rabin rocket single back through the middle and an RBI Nelson single on the infield.
Letourneau capped the rally with a big fly, lifting a soaring fly ball that landed just beyond the left-field fence for a three-run jack that surged Northwestern into the lead, 6-3.
Iowa attempted a rally of its own in the top of the third, getting runners to second and third with two outs. Letourneau struck out her eighth Hawkeye of the game, though, to strand both and keep NU on top by a trio.
Rabin manufactured a run with her speed in the bottom of the fourth. She was hit by a pitch to start the frame, stole second and moved to third on a Filler flyout, putting her in perfect position to race home when Letourneau placed a ball perfectly back up the middle for an infield single. The inning continued with a walk to Sammy Nettling, leading Iowa to replace Starkenburg in the circle with Erin Riding.
Riding issued a bases-loading walk to pinch-hitter Anna Petersen, but Brooke Marquez's bid for extra bases and lots of RBIs was tracked down in right-center field to end the frame with the score 7-3.
A two-out Northwestern error in the top of the fifth opened the door for a big Iowa rally. A high pop fly on the infield was dropped, allowing one run to score before the next Hawkeye hit a two-run home run to cut the Wildcats' lead all the way down to a single run, 7-6.
Northwestern did not let the rally change the momentum at all. In the bottom of the fifth, Williams and Rabin each reached on singles before, with two outs, Filler walked to load the bases. Letourneau then put an exclamation point on her day with a smoked grand slam to dead center field, pushing Northwestern's lead back out to 11-6.
Letourneau's homers in the game were her eighth and ninth of the year and the 37th and 38th of her career.
Iowa got one run back with a two-out double in the top of the sixth, and freshman Kenzie Ellis ended up entering the circle in relief with two on and two down in the frame. Ellis walked the first batter before coaxing an easy grounder to Nelson at third, leaving the bases loaded and the Wildcats on top, 11-7.
Northwestern tacked on some insurance in the bottom of the sixth when Marquez singled and Strub went opposite field for a two-run home run to make it a 13-7 contest. Strub's homer was her second of the season and the third of her career.
The insurance proved to be huge when Iowa opened the top of the seventh with a single and two-run home run. Ellis battled through the rest of the frame, however, and preserved the victory.
Letourneau (6-7) picked up the victory by going 5.2 innings and allowing seven runs (four earned) on seven hits and four walks with the 11 Ks. Ellis notched the first save of her career with 1.1 innings, giving up two runs on four hits and a walk with one strikeout.
At the plate, Letourneau was 3-for-4 with her eight RBIs and two runs scored. Rabin finished 2-for-4 with two RBIs and three runs scored. Marquez and Williams each had two hits while Williams scored twice. Strub had a single hit, but drove in two and scored twice.
Northwestern now is 12-20 overall, 3-4 in the Big Ten after the win. Iowa drops to 9-24, 1-8 in the league with its loss. The two teams meet again immediately for the second game of this series.
Letourneau surpassed her season high for strikeouts, which previously was 10 in a game at North Carolina during the second weekend of the year. Her eight RBIs came on two home runs and a single, and tied her RBI performance against New Mexico State in a run-rule win February 26 at the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic.
Though Letourneau struck out the Iowa side in the top of the first, the Hawkeyes also recorded a single followed by a pair of home runs to take a quick 3-0 lead in the game.
In the bottom of the first, freshman Morgan Nelson worked a full-count, one-out walk before racing around to third base when Andrea Filler slotted her 11th double of the season just inside the left-field line. Iowa's starter Shayla Starkenburg bore down to erase Nelson at the plate on a comebacker before ending the threat with a strikeout.
Letourneau whiffed the side again in the top of the second, then the Northwestern attack began cashing in. Junior Alcy Bush started the bottom of the inning with a walk before Fran Strub received a one-out walk of her own. After Krista Williams loaded the bags with an infield single, the scoring fun got started with a Sabrina Rabin rocket single back through the middle and an RBI Nelson single on the infield.
Letourneau capped the rally with a big fly, lifting a soaring fly ball that landed just beyond the left-field fence for a three-run jack that surged Northwestern into the lead, 6-3.
Iowa attempted a rally of its own in the top of the third, getting runners to second and third with two outs. Letourneau struck out her eighth Hawkeye of the game, though, to strand both and keep NU on top by a trio.
Rabin manufactured a run with her speed in the bottom of the fourth. She was hit by a pitch to start the frame, stole second and moved to third on a Filler flyout, putting her in perfect position to race home when Letourneau placed a ball perfectly back up the middle for an infield single. The inning continued with a walk to Sammy Nettling, leading Iowa to replace Starkenburg in the circle with Erin Riding.
Riding issued a bases-loading walk to pinch-hitter Anna Petersen, but Brooke Marquez's bid for extra bases and lots of RBIs was tracked down in right-center field to end the frame with the score 7-3.
A two-out Northwestern error in the top of the fifth opened the door for a big Iowa rally. A high pop fly on the infield was dropped, allowing one run to score before the next Hawkeye hit a two-run home run to cut the Wildcats' lead all the way down to a single run, 7-6.
Northwestern did not let the rally change the momentum at all. In the bottom of the fifth, Williams and Rabin each reached on singles before, with two outs, Filler walked to load the bases. Letourneau then put an exclamation point on her day with a smoked grand slam to dead center field, pushing Northwestern's lead back out to 11-6.
Letourneau's homers in the game were her eighth and ninth of the year and the 37th and 38th of her career.
Iowa got one run back with a two-out double in the top of the sixth, and freshman Kenzie Ellis ended up entering the circle in relief with two on and two down in the frame. Ellis walked the first batter before coaxing an easy grounder to Nelson at third, leaving the bases loaded and the Wildcats on top, 11-7.
Northwestern tacked on some insurance in the bottom of the sixth when Marquez singled and Strub went opposite field for a two-run home run to make it a 13-7 contest. Strub's homer was her second of the season and the third of her career.
The insurance proved to be huge when Iowa opened the top of the seventh with a single and two-run home run. Ellis battled through the rest of the frame, however, and preserved the victory.
Letourneau (6-7) picked up the victory by going 5.2 innings and allowing seven runs (four earned) on seven hits and four walks with the 11 Ks. Ellis notched the first save of her career with 1.1 innings, giving up two runs on four hits and a walk with one strikeout.
At the plate, Letourneau was 3-for-4 with her eight RBIs and two runs scored. Rabin finished 2-for-4 with two RBIs and three runs scored. Marquez and Williams each had two hits while Williams scored twice. Strub had a single hit, but drove in two and scored twice.
••••••
Be the first to know what's going on with the 'Cats -- Follow @NU_Sports on Twitter, become a fan of Northwestern Athletics on Facebook, check us out on Instagram, visit our Social Media page and download our mobile app from the Apple Store and Google Play! To get involved with the #B1GCats, become a season-ticket holder or join the Wildcat Fund!
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Letourneau, Amy (6-7)
L: Starkenburg, Shayla (3-8)
S: Ellis, Kenzie (1)
Batting:
2B: Fritsch, Claire 1
HR: Mullarkey, Kaitlyn 1 ; Hoffman, Holly 2 ; Schmiederer, Angela 1
RBI: Fritsch, Claire 1 ; Mullarkey, Kaitlyn 2 ; Hoffman, Holly 3 ; Schmiederer, Angela 2
Base Running:
RUNS: Fritsch, Claire 1 ; Mullarkey, Kaitlyn 2 ; Gyerman, Sammi 1 ; Hoffman, Holly 2 ; Repole, Whitney 1 ; Schmiederer, Angela 1 ; Erickson, Erin 1
SB: Gyerman, Sammi 1
HBP: Mullarkey, Kaitlyn 1
Batting:
2B: Filler, Andrea 1
HR: Letourneau, Amy 2 ; Strub, Fran 1
RBI: Rabin, Sabrina 2 ; Nelson, Morgan 1 ; Letourneau, Amy 8 ; Strub, Fran 2
Base Running:
RUNS: Rabin, Sabrina 3 ; Nelson, Morgan 1 ; Filler, Andrea 1 ; Letourneau, Amy 2 ; Bush, Alcy 1 ; Marquez, Brooke 1 ; Strub, Fran 2 ; Williams, Krista 2
SB: Rabin, Sabrina 1 ; Nelson, Morgan 1
HBP: Rabin, Sabrina 1
Game Leaders
Hitting
AB
4
R
2
H
3
RBI
8
AB
4
R
3
H
2
RBI
2
AB
4
R
1
H
2
RBI
0
AB
4
R
2
H
2
RBI
0
Players Mentioned
P
/ Softball
IF
/ SoftballP/1B
/ SoftballIF
/ Softball
IF/C
/ Softball
C
/ Softball
OF
/ SoftballOF
/ Softball
OF
/ SoftballOF
/ SoftballSoftball - Lauren Boyd Tosses Complete Game Shutout, 'Cats Blank Kentucky in NCAA Regional (5/16/25)
Friday, May 16
Softball - 'Cats Storm Back, Secure Series Victory at No. 8 UCLA (5/4/25)
Sunday, May 04
Softball - 'Cats Earn 8-0 Run-Rule Win at No. 8 UCLA (5/2/25)
Saturday, May 03
Softball - Kaylie Avvisato Hits Walk-Off Home Run, 'Cats Take Series vs. Wisconsin (4/27/25)
Sunday, April 27
