No. 6 Minnesota Weathers Northwestern, 6-2

4/14/2017 10:28:00 PM | Softball

Box Score

MINNEAPOLIS – It took more than four hours and involved three different rain delays, but the series opener between Northwestern and No. 6 Minnesota finally ended late Friday night with the Gophers on top, 6-2.

Northwestern now is 16-21 overall on the season, 3-7 in the B1G. Minnesota improves to 36-3, 9-1 in the Big Ten with its win.

The Wildcats and Gophers resume festivities at 1 p.m. CT tomorrow, Saturday, April 15. The game will be streamed live on BTN Plus.

Sprinkles & bad hops defined the early part of this game, starting right off the bat when the first ball put in play by Minnesota in the bottom of the first was booted on the infield for an error. An ensuing rally resulted in a pair of unearned runs coming home to stake the Gophers to a 2-0 lead.

After both teams were retired in order in the second with rain falling fairly steadily, Northwestern put itself on the board in the third. Alcy Bush led off with a ball deep in the hole that took a nasty hop and ate up the fielder for an infield single. Sabrina Rabin then killed a bunt in front of Minnesota starter Sara Groenewegen for another single before both runners moved up on a passed ball. With two outs, a wild pitch sent Bush racing home and sliding in safely to make it a 2-1 game.

The inning ended without any further Northwestern runs, but the rains did not let up, sending the contest into a rain delay that lasted exactly an hour. When the game resumed, the first pitch NU starter Kaley Winegarner threw was hit out of the park. The Gophers would add another run later to take a 4-1 lead into the fourth.

In that frame, Minnesota notched a one-out triple, but this time Winegarner was able to induce two grounders to Lily Novak at second to strand that Gopher.

Groenewegen hit Bush with a one-out pitch so hard in the fifth inning, it started raining again to send the game into its second delay. This one did not last quite as long, and Abbey Boyd replaced Bush on the base paths once play continued. Rabin moved her to second before Krista Williams unleashed a blistering line drive destined for the right-field line, but the first baseman gloved it to end the inning.

In the bottom half, the Gophers took advantage of another Wildcats error to help score two more runs and make the game a 6-1 contest before the tarp came back out for a third -- and fairly brief -- rain delay.

It was Northwestern's turn to take advantage of miscues in the top of the sixth. With one out, Anna Petersen reached on an errant throw. Emma Bartz entered to run for her, moving to second when Morgan Nelson walked. Then, with two down, Novak ripped a single out into center that scored Bartz, cutting the deficit to 6-2. The play ended with two Wildcats in scoring position, which is where they stood when the inning ended.

Kenzie Ellis took over in the circle for Winegarner in the bottom of the sixth, allowing a leadoff single and nothing more.

With rain falling yet again in the top of the seventh, Rabin and Williams notched back-to-back singles with one away. Groenewegen retired the next two Wildcats to end the game.

Winegarner (4-4) took the loss, allowing six runs (three earned) on seven hits and four walks with a K in 5.0 frames, gutting it out through two lengthy rain delays and into a third. Ellis worked around a leadoff single for a scoreless inning of relief.

Rabin had two hits to lead NU's day at the plate.