Big Final Inning Gives No. 20 Michigan 6-0 Win Over Northwestern

4/1/2017 3:14:00 PM | Softball

Box Score

ANN ARBOR, Mich. – Northwestern largely contained No. 20 Michigan's red-hot offense Saturday in the second game of their series at Alumni Field, but the Wolverines plated four runs in the sixth inning and notched their sixth shutout in a row to defeat the Wildcats, 6-0.

Northwestern (13-18, 1-4 B1G) and Michigan (25-7-1, 5-0 B1G) conclude their series at 1 p.m. CT/2 p.m. ET tomorrow, Sunday, April 2 live on BTN.

The first inning was semi-eventful for having no runs scored on either side. Sabrina Rabin led everything off for the #B1GCats by facing 10 pitches from Michigan starter Tera Blanco before being retired. Marissa Panko followed with a single, but was erased attempting to steal second. Then, in the bottom half of the inning, the Wolverines got their first two batters aboard against Wildcats starter Nicole Bond before Morgan Nelson gloved a grounder at third and turned a 5-3 double play, helping to get NU out of trouble itself.

In the bottom of the second, Michigan again put its first two batters on. After a pop out, the next Wolverine hit a ball up the middle to Panko at short. NU got the first out at second and throw to first was late, but the lead runner on the base paths was tearing around to home. Alcy Bush fired to the plate and Sammy Nettling was able to apply the tag before the runner could touch to end the inning on another double play.

The Wolverines escalated their two-on, nobody out rally in the third by putting those runners at second and third. Bond got the next batter to pop up to Brooke Marquez at second before a deep fly ball to left field brought one run in on a sacrifice fly. Given the severity of the situation, Bond did well to limit the rally to that single run, keeping the Wildcats with a 1-0 score going to the fourth.

Michigan got a run in similar fashion in the fourth, using a one-out sacrifice fly to extend its lead to 2-0. Bond stranded a third run at third base when the inning came to a close.

In the top of the fifth, Anna Petersen smacked a double down the left-field line with two outs for the Wildcats. Nettling made a bid to drive her in, but her tailing shot into right field was caught on the run at the line to keep NU off the board.

Michigan fully cashed in on a rally for the first time in the game in the sixth, scoring four runs with two outs to make it a 6-0 game. Morgan Newport took over for Bond with two outs and the bases loaded, and got a ground ball to second to send the game to the seventh.

In the final inning, Nelson was hit by a pitch to start the frame but quickly erased on a double play to thwart an NU comeback attempt.

Bond (2-6) took the loss, successfully walking the tightrope until the final inning. She was charged with six runs on nine hits and eight walks. Newport recorded the final out for NU in the circle.