Northwestern Takes Series Over Wisconsin With 4-3 Game Three Win

Sunday, May 1

Madison, WI

1 p.m. CT

Northwestern

22-24, 12-8

Wisconsin

27-21-1, 10-9-1

Northwestern

Wisconsin

Northwestern Takes Series Over Wisconsin With 4-3 Game Three Win

5/1/2016 4:11:00 PM | Softball

Box Score

MADISON, Wis. – Northwestern used runs in the fourth and fifth innings Sunday in the final game of its series at Wisconsin to earn a 4-3 victory, taking the series over the Badgers at Goodman Diamond.

Northwestern's record on the season now stands at 22-24, 12-8 in the Big Ten. Wisconsin is 27-21-1, 10-9-1 in the league. NU is next in action in a nonconference midweek tilt at 4 p.m. Wednesday, May 4, at DePaul before concluding the regular season May 6-8 at Purdue.

The Wildcats did not waste time taking the first lead in Sunday's finale. Morgan Nelson singled to left and stole second, then came home on a sharp Andrea Filler single into center. Amy Letourneau moved Filler to second with a groundout, which proved to be a big 60 feet when Sammy Nettling shot a single through the left side of the infield and Filler slid in safely at home for a 2-0 Northwestern advantage.

NU starter Letourneau had a 1-2-3 shutdown bottom of the first, aided in large part by Filler ranging deep into the hole and throwing out the No. 3 batter FROM THE OUTFIELD GRASS in a play nearly always reserved for the baseball diamond.

Wisconsin surged into the lead with a two-out rally in the bottom of the second, first knotting the score on a two-run single that was a crushed two-hopper toward Brooke Marquez at second. The ball's second hop was off a firecracker, sending it shooting up off Marquez's left shoulder and into right field. Later in the frame, with a pinch runner second, the batter hit a Texas-leaguer in back of the second base bag that fell in and gave the Badgers a 3-2 edge.

UW replaced starter Kirsten Stevens in the circle with Game Two winner Taylor-Paige Stewart in the top of the third, and the senior needed just seven pitches to record 1-2-3 inning with the help of some tremendous defense, including a 3-4-3 putout of Nelson.

Letourneau responded with a quick bottom of the third of her own, then started the fourth with a bang, booming her 14^th home run of the season to tie the score, 3-3. She now has 43 home runs in her Northwestern career.

The Wildcats took the lead back with a two-out rally in the top of the fifth, beginning with Sabrina Rabin lining a single into left. She stole second and came racing home when Nelson served a soft single into right center, making the game 4-3 and giving Nelson an RBI in eight-consecutive games.
The score remained the same heading into the top of the seventh, where both Krista Williams and Rabin recorded one-out base hits. Stewart, however, struck out the next two Wildcats to keep the home team's deficit at just a single run heading to the bottom of the inning.

In the bottom of the seventh, Wisconsin earned two base runners with one out. Letourneau bore down for a strikeout, then a grounder to Nelson at third ended the game.

Letourneau (11-9) tossed the complete game, allowing three runs on four hits and three walks with three strikeouts.

Nelson, Nettling and Rabin all had two hits for NU at the plate.

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