No. 6 Minnesota Takes Series Finale Over Northwestern, 8-0 (5)

4/16/2017 1:42:00 PM | Softball

Box Score

MINNEAPOLIS – No. 6 Minnesota plated two unearned runs in the first and added five scores in the second to pull away early from Northwestern in an eventual 8-0 (5) Wildcats loss Sunday in the teams' series finale at Jane Sage Cowles Stadium.

Northwestern now is 16-23 on the year, 3-9 in the Big Ten. Minnesota improves to 38-3, 11-1 in the league. NU's top-ranked strength of schedule continues to toughen after this weekend's series, now with 62 percent of the Wildcats games this year coming against teams ranked in the current NCAA RPI top-50, including 13 games against the current top-15.

Northwestern returns home for four games next week, including Senior Weekend and the Purple Auction Saturday, April 22. The slate begins with a 4 p.m. CT nonconference contest Wednesday, April 19, against DePaul at Sharon J. Drysdale Field.

One day after limiting hot-hitting Minnesota to just two hits in a complete-game effort, senior Nicole Bond got the start again Sunday. An early Wildcats miscue led to a pair of unearned Gophers runs in the first inning, however. After a leadoff single, the next batter hit a ball on the infield that was mishandled for an error. Later, a fielder's choice ball and a sacrifice fly each drove in runs.

In the second, a ball lost in the sun for a single and two walks loaded the bases. After a flyout, Bond walked in a run, leading Kenzie Ellis to enter the circle in relief. NU tried to the get a force at the plate on a slow-hit chopper to short, but was too late, then the next batter cleared the bases with a double to break the game open early, 7-0.

Northwestern notched its first hit and baserunner of the game in the top of the fourth when junior Marissa Panko raced to first to beat out an infield single to second base.

Minnesota loaded the bases with no outs in the bottom of the fourth on two singles and a walk. The next batter smashed a line drive toward short that Panko stepped left for, reaching out to snare it and nearly doubling off the runner at second. An RBI single brought home the Gophers eighth run, but NU did well to nail a trail runner at third on the play, then a line drive to Brooke Marquez at short ended the inning.

Needing a run in the fifth to keep the game going, NU got a two-out base hit from sophomore Lily Novak, but nothing further.

Bond (3-8) took the loss, giving up six runs (four earned) on two hits and four walks in 1.1 innings. Ellis threw the rest of the inning, going 2.2 and allowing two runs on six hits and a walk with one strikeout.