DePaul Walks Off On Northwestern, 4-3

Wednesday, May 4

Chicago, IL

4 p.m. CT

Northwestern

22-25

DePaul

24-24

Northwestern

DePaul

5/4/2016 6:29:00 PM | Softball

Box Score

CHICAGO – Northwestern scored two runs in the top of the seventh Wednesday afternoon at Cacciatore Stadium to take a 3-2 lead on DePaul only to see the Blue Demons score two of their own in the bottom half, walking off with a 4-3 victory over the Wildcats.

Northwestern's record on the season now stands at 22-25. DePaul is 24-24. The Wildcats conclude the regular season with a three-game set beginning at 6 p.m. CT Friday, May 6, at Purdue.

The home team has won every game in this series dating to a pair of Northwestern wins at DePaul in 2006.

Sabrina Rabin led off the game with a full-count walk, stole her 34^th base of the season and then motored on home when Amy Letourneau cranked a double into left-center field for a quick 1-0 Wildcats lead.

That score would last a while in a game in which Letourneau in the circle kept DePaul at bay while the Blue Demons starter, Morgan Maize, stranded Wildcats runners inning after inning. NU put a runner in scoring position in the second, third and fourth with no runs to show for it. In the bottom of fourth, Brooke Marquez walked and Rabin singled. Pinch runner Abbey Boyd and Rabin eventually reached second and third with two outs, but that is where they would stay.

DePaul put its first runners of the game aboard in the bottom of the third on a walk and a hit batter, but the next Blue Demon to the plate grounded to Marquez to start a 4-3 double play. DePaul then picked up its first base hit of the contest with a two-out single to center in the fourth; Letourneau made quick work of the ensuing batter.

DePaul inserted Megan Leyva into the circle in relief of Maize to start the top of the fifth, and nothing much changed. Letourneau slammed her third hit of the game to the fence in left in that inning, but it was hit so hard and the left-fielder's throw was so good that Letourneau was out trying to stretch it into a double.

The Blue Demons rallied in the bottom of the sixth. The first two batters reach on a hit by pitch and a walk, then the tying run came home on a single. Later, with one out and runners at first and second, the Wildcats tried to turn a double play, but the throw to first was wild and the lead runner on the play was able to score to put DePaul on top, 2-1.

In the top of the seventh, Morgan Nelson battled through a 10-pitch at-bat before beating a crazy defensive shift with a single into left. Andrea Filler followed with a soaring fly ball deep to left that fought and clawed and willed its way through a biting wind, and, with the left fielder jumping repeatedly at the fence to try and reach over to glove it, fell just beyond for a two-run dinger and a 3-2 Northwestern lead.

The blast was Filler's team-leading 15^th of the year, the 33^rd of her Northwestern career and the 41^st of her college career.

DePaul started the bottom of the seventh with two walks against Letourneau and moved both runners up with a sacrifice bunt. The next batter sacrificed both up a bag before a comebacker to Letourneau. The senior charged the lead runner at third who was off the bag, catching her in a run down, but the throw to the plate was high and she slid in under the tag to tie the game. NU then intentionally walked the next batter to load the bases, but a sacrifice fly to deep left ended the game.

Letourneau (11-10) pitched 6.2 innings and allowed four runs (three earned) on two hits and five walks with five strikeouts. She led NU at the plate with three hits while Filler had the two-run big fly.

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