Sunday, February 19
Tallahassee, Fla.
8:30 a.m. CT/9:30 a.m. ET
Northwestern
1-8
4
vs
6
Pittsburgh
9-0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
R
H
E
Pittsburgh
0
1
0
0
0
5
0
6
9
0
Northwestern
1
0
0
2
0
1
0
4
10
2
No. 24 Pittsburgh Comes Back to Top Northwestern, 6-4
2/19/2017 10:50:00 AM | Softball
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- Northwestern once again led No. 24 Pittsburgh for the majority of the morning Sunday on getaway day at the B1G/ACC Challenge, but a five-run Panthers rally in the sixth inning turned the game on its head and handed the Wildcats a 6-4 defeat.
Pittsburgh continues its perfect start to the year with a 9-0 record. Northwestern falls to 1-8 with its loss. Six of NU's losses have come to ranked opponents, including four games where NU's foes took the lead in the fifth inning or later.
Northwestern returns to action next weekend, February 24-26, at the fabled Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic in Cathedral City, Calif.
After scuffling to find base runners in Saturday's first meeting between these teams (a game Pittsburgh won 2-1 in eight innings), Northwestern put its first three to the plate aboard in Sunday's rematch. Sabrina Rabin led off the bottom of the first with a single to second, then Morgan Nelson also singled on the infield. Kenzie Ellis immediately drew a four-pitch walk to load the bases with nobody out. After Pittsburgh put out Rabin at the plate on a grounder, Marissa Panko pushed the Wildcats on top with a single into center that allowed Nelson to score.
The earned run was the first given up by Pittsburgh starter Brittany Knight in more than 16 innings to start the 2017 season. She did not allow another in the inning, getting a strikeout and a pop up to limit NU's rally to a single score.
Pitt led off the top of the second with a double, then manufactured a run with a groundout and a sac fly. Wildcats starter Morgan Newport finished the inning with a strikeout to keep the game at a 1-1 score.
Newport was stellar through the middle innings, needing just seven pitches for a 1-2-3 third frame before striking out the side in the fourth, working around a 2-out double in that inning to keep the contest tied.
Northwestern mounted its next big scoring chance in the bottom of the fourth, and it was Newport herself who started it at the plate with a one-out single. Krista Williams followed with a single of her own, then Rabin hit a ball back to the pitcher that was ruled to be a fielder's choice with everyone being safe, loading the bases.
Just like in the first inning bases-loaded rally, Pittsburgh was able to make an out at the plate on a ground ball, but then Ellis singled up the middle to score both Williams and Rabin, putting Northwestern back on top in the game, 3-1. Both trail runners moved up a bag on the throw home, giving NU runners at second and third while Pittsburgh lifted Knight from the circle in favor of Saturday's complete-game winner Kayla Harris. The next Wildcat to the plate grounded out to end the inning.
The Panthers made a bid to respond quickly with a leadoff single in the fifth. The Wildcats infield defense deftly fielded a pair of bunts and a ground ball to leave that runner stranded at third with NU still on top, 3-1.
A couple of Northwestern errors kick-started a disastrous Pitt rally in the top of the sixth. With the bases loaded and one out, the Panthers got back-to-back singles that tied the game and kept the bases juiced. Ellis entered the circle in relief of Newport, but immediately plunked the next batter to force the go-ahead run across. A run-scoring single and an RBI groundout made it 6-3 Panthers before the inning ended.
Newport did her part at the plate to begin the comeback attempt. Leading off the bottom of the sixth, she slashed a triple down the left-field line. One out later, Rabin singled into left center to bring Newport home and cut the NU deficit to two, 6-4. Nelson followed with a screaming liner toward second, but it was caught and Rabin was doubled up to end the rally.
Senior Nicole Bond entered the circle in relief in the seventh, working around a one-out single and a two-out walk with a pair of strikeouts to keep Pitt's lead at two. In the bottom of the seventh, Anna Petersen singled to left with one away. Just like in the sixth, though, Pittsburgh turned a double play to end the game.
Newport (0-2) took the loss despite pitching well by-and-large. She tossed 5.1 innings and was charged with six runs (four earned) on seven hits and two walks with four strikeouts. Ellis threw two-thirds of an inning, giving up a hit and a hit batter with one K. Bond threw a scoreless frame with a pair of strikeouts.
Newport was a perfect 2-for-2 at the plate with a walk and a triple to lead NU's offense. Panko and Rabin each went 2-for-4 with Ellis drove in two runs.
••••••
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Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Kayla Harris (3-0)
L: Newport, Morgan (0-2)
Batting:
2B: Olivia Gray 1 ; Kaitlin Manuel 1
RBI: Gabrielle Fredericks 1 ; Erin Hershman 1 ; Alexis Solak 3 ; Alexee Haynes 1
SH: Hannah Edwards 1 ; Erin Hershman 1 ; Valerie Ortega 1
SF: Alexis Solak 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Kaitlyn Kruger 1 ; Olivia Gray 2 ; Kaitlin Manuel 1 ; Alexis Solak 1 ; Connor McGaffic 1
HBP: Alexee Haynes 1
Batting:
2B: Panko, Marissa 1
3B: Newport, Morgan 1
RBI: Rabin, Sabrina 1 ; Ellis, Kenzie 2 ; Panko, Marissa 1
SH: Williams, Krista 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Rabin, Sabrina 1 ; Nelson, Morgan 1 ; Newport, Morgan 1 ; Williams, Krista 1
Game Leaders
Hitting
rf/cf
AB
4
R
1
H
2
RBI
1
AB
4
R
0
H
2
RBI
1
p/dp
AB
2
R
1
H
2
RBI
0
AB
4
R
1
H
1
RBI
0
Players Mentioned
P
/ Softball
P
/ SoftballIF/C
/ SoftballP/U
/ SoftballIF/OF
/ Softball
OF
/ SoftballOF
/ Softball
OF
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