Northwestern Opens Garman With 3-2 Win Over No. 23 Cal

3/3/2017 4:12:00 PM | Softball

Box Score

FULLERTON, Calif. – Northwestern pounced early on No. 23 California Friday in its first game at the Judi Garman Classic hosted by Cal State Fullerton, holding on against a late Bears rally to win its opener in the tournament, 3-2.

Northwestern improves to 4-10 overall on the season with its third-straight victory. California suffered only its second loss of the year, and now is 13-2.

The Wildcats are back in action tonight at 7:30 p.m. CT/5:30 p.m. PT against South Carolina at the Judi Garman Classic.

Northwestern starter Kenzie Ellis worked a super-fast top of the first inning, setting the stage for an immediate Wildcats rally in the bottom of the frame. Sabrina Rabin started the Wildcats rally with a double, then moved to third when Krista Williams beat out a single to the pitcher. Two outs later, Williams stood at second and Morgan Nelson at first when Sammy Nettling served a soft liner out into right field to bring Williams racing around to the plate and moving Nelson to third. Cal starter Kourtney Shaw then uncorked a wild pitch that allowed Nelson to score, giving NU a quick 2-0 lead.

Shaw then walked both Brooke Marquez and Anna Petersen to load the bases, and California replaced her in the circle with Katie Sutherland-Finch. Sutherland-Finch got a strikeout to strand all three inherited Wildcats.

In the bottom of the third, Nelson doubled into center field with one out before picking up an important 60 feet with a steal of third base. Nettling took full advantage, sending a fly ball into center that was deep enough to score Nelson and make Northwestern's lead 3-0. With the bases empty and two out, Marquez started another rally with a single into right before Petersen sent a double into left field, but a perfect relay into the plate nailed Marquez attempting to motor around from first to end the inning.

After going down in order against Ellis in each of the first three innings, Cal got its first runner and run of the game with a leadoff homer in the fourth. Two more Bears got on base in the frame, making their way to second and third with one out. Ellis left them there with a strikeout and a groundout to preserve NU's 3-1 advantage.

California made another pitching change to begin the bottom of the fourth, inserting Stephanie Trzcinski into the circle. Both Rabin and Williams singled against her with two outs to get Northwestern up to nine base knocks in the game, but neither would come around to score.

With the score the same in the top of the sixth, California got runners to second and third with no outs on a pair of singles. Morgan Newport entered the circle in relief of Ellis for NU, and the next batter hit a sacrifice fly to cut the Wildcats lead to one, 3-2, and put the tying run at third base with one away.

Next, a bizarre play on the infield that was scored a single with an error allowed the batter to get to second while the tying run ended up stuck at third. Newport took advantage of the play to strike out the next two batters, ending the threat with Northwestern still in the lead.

In the top of the seventh, Newport kept things decidedly more drama free with a 1-2-3 inning to earn her first-collegiate save in a big time way. She went 2.0 innings in the contest, allowing no runs on one hit with two strikeouts.

Ellis (2-5) has now won each of her last two starts, this time going five-plus frames. She was charged with two runs on five hits and a walk while fanning four.

Both Rabin and Williams atop the NU order had two hits apiece to pace Northwestern's offense. Nelson scored twice while Nettling drove in two runs, including the game-winner with her third-inning sacrifice fly.