Late Inning Surge Gives NU a 12-4 (6) Run-Rule Win Over Purdue

4/21/2017 6:23:00 PM | Softball

Box Score

EVANSTON, Ill. – Trailing Purdue 3-0 in the bottom of the third inning, Northwestern's offense kicked off Senior Weekend with a flurry Friday at Sharon J. Drysdale Field, coming back to score four in the fifth and six in the sixth for a 12-4 (6) run-rule victory over the Boilermakers.

Northwestern now is 18-23 on the season, 4-9 in the B1G. Purdue falls to 17-30 with its loss, 6-9 B1G. The game is the second-straight for the Wildcats in which a late-inning outburst led to a run-rule victory. On Wednesday, NU scored four times in the sixth for an 8-0 (6) run-rule win against DePaul.

Wildcats Senior Week continues with a 1 p.m. first pitch Saturday, but the day starts with Breakfast at the Ballpark at noon (free for students, $10 for all other fans) and ends with the 11^th annual Purple Auction at 4 p.m. at the Hilton Garden Inn Evanston.

Sunday's series finale is Senior Day at The J. First pitch is scheduled for noon CT with pre-game festivities beginning around 11:45 a.m.

BUY NORTHWESTERN SOFTBALL TICKETS TODAY!

A couple of Wildcats miscues in the top of the first helped stake the Boilermakers to a 2-0 lead. A leadoff error and a wild pitch third strike put two batters aboard, then a two-out double brought them around. Ironically, NU starter Nicole Bond's wild pitch strikeout of Mallory Baker was the first Baker had struck out since February 24, snapping a streak of 102-straight at-bats without a K…but Baker still scored a run in the inning.

After the Boilermakers added a third run on a two-out solo homer in the third, the Wildcats got the claws out. Kenzie Ellis led off the bottom of the third with a walk, and Abbey Boyd took over running duties at first. Sammy Nettling then tomahawked a double off the fence in left, pushing Boyd to third before Alcy Bush lifted a sacrifice fly into center that scored Boyd.

The inning continued with a wild pitch from Purdue starter Kaitlynn Moody that moved Nettling to third, then Sabrina Rabin laced a single to left to plate Nettling and cut NU's deficit to one, 3-2.

Great SIGHTS from our 12-4 (6) run-rule win over Purdue on #B1GCats Senior Weekend! RECAP: https://t.co/NcqUiIMObv https://t.co/VUWONFW9bd
— NorthwesternSoftball (@NUSBcats) April 21, 2017

Krista Williams made a tremendous over-the-shoulder catch racing back to the track to end the top of the fourth, then NU nearly tied the game in the bottom half. Anna Petersen led off the frame with a double to right and Morgan Nelson reached on an error. Brooke Marquez sacrificed both up a bag, then Ellis lifted a fly ball into medium center field. The catch was made and Petersen took off for the plate, but a perfect throw nailed her and ended the inning.

Northwestern did surge ahead in the fifth, starting its rally again with a Nettling base knock. Bush then did her previous sacrifice fly one better, bashing the fifth home run of her career and her first-ever at Sharon J. Drysdale Field: a fitting way to kick off Senior Weekend.

Bush's dinger pushed NU into the lead, 4-3, but the Wildcats were not done in the frame. With one out, Williams reached on a single and Purdue replaced Moody in the circle with Katie Johnson. Marissa Panko beat out a single to third, then Petersen missed a home run by mere inches in left center, but the catch of the ball allowed Williams to tag and set up a first-and-third situation…which worked out well when the #B1GCats successfully pulled off the double steal for another run. Panko finished the play at third, and came home on an error later on to cap a four-run outburst with NU on top, 6-3.

Purdue got one run back in the sixth, with Kaley Winegarner taking over for Nicole Bond midway through the rally. With the score now 6-4, two outs and the tying run at second, Winegarner got a deep fly ball to left field that Williams settled under just in front of the track to end the inning with NU still on top.

At that point, things escalated quickly. Ellis started the sixth with a single, and Eva Stees entered to run -- and run she did. Nettling doubled of the very tippy top final fiber of the left-field fence, sending Stees sprinting around to the plate. Purdue inserted Katie Johnson into the circle, and the new hurler promptly walked Bush before Rabin slashed an RBI single into center. Williams then smacked a two-run triple to the fence in right to make it a 10-4 game and cause the Boilermakers to re-enter the starter Moody.

Panko re-greeted Moody with an RBI single, then stole second base. With one out, Nelson singled up the middle to plate Nelson, ending the game early, 12-4 (6).

Nettling led NU at the plate, going 3-for-3 with two doubles and a career-best three runs scored along with an RBI. Bush was officially 1-for-1 with a #dinger, a career-best three RBIs for the second-straight game and two runs scored.

The conehead line atop the lineup all notched two hits apiece. Rabin also drove in two, Williams knocked in a pair and scored twice, and Panko came home twice.

In the circle, Bond notched the win, going five-plus innings and allowing four runs (only one earned) on five hits and two walks with three strikeouts. Winegarner picked up a save in the game after entering with a three-run lead, throwing 1.0 frame and giving up one hit.