Northwestern Falls to Notre Dame in Final Non-Conference Contest

4/25/2017 6:35:00 PM | Softball

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EVANSTON, Ill. – Playing its final non-conference game of the season, Northwestern fell to Notre Dame, 10-2 (5), Tuesday at Sharon J. Drysdale Field.

Northwestern now is 20-24 on the season. Notre Dame is 28-18.

Northwestern now hits the road for a Big Ten series at Nebraska, starting with a late 7 p.m. CT first pitch Friday live on BTN. Next week, the Wildcats close out their home schedule by welcoming Illinois to The J for a 2 p.m. CT doubleheader Wednesday, May 3.

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Northwestern suffered through a rough start to this game when the first four Notre Dame batters to the plate reached base, capped by a three-run home run for a 4-0 Irish lead.

In the top of the second, a two-out Northwestern error came around to score on a two-out single. Following a walk that put two on with two out and the score at 5-0, Nicole Bond entered in relief of NU starter Kaley Winegarner. She stranded both of her inherited runners when Morgan Nelson knocked down a rocket hit toward third, picked it up and stepped on the bag for an inning-ending force.

For its part, Northwestern was awarded three walks in the bottom of the first inning, but had a runner put out attempting to steal and ended up stranding a pair. In the second, Sammy Nettling drew a leadoff walk, but the inning ended when Brooke Marquez hit a screamer right to the first baseman who turned and stepped on the bag for a double play.

With one out in the third, the Irish got a walk, a long single and then a three-run home run to push the score to 8-0. Following another walk, Morgan Newport entered the circle for NU. The Irish would end up loading the bases with one out, but Newport got a massive full-count swinging strikeout before a ground ball kept the deficit at eight runs.

That escape proved to be big when Northwestern clawed its way back inside the run-rule line in the bottom half. Alcy Bush drew a walk to start the inning, moving to second when Sabrina Rabin singled. After a Krista Williams sacrifice bunt, Marissa Panko chopped a groundout to deep short that easily brought Bush in to make the score 8-1.

Notre Dame kept pressing, however, using a pair of two-out hits in the fifth to score twice more, extending its lead out to nine, 10-1.

Bush got one run for Northwestern immediately in the bottom of the fifth, launching a solo home run to left-center field. The shot was her third of the year and the sixth of the senior's career.

Williams added a one-out single, but NU could not get the final run to keep the game going.

Winegarner (6-5) took the loss, going 1.2 innings and allowing five runs (four earned) on four hits and two walks with two strikeouts. Bond surrendered three runs on two hits and two walks in two-thirds of an inning. Newport threw 2.2 frames and was charged with two runs (one earned) on five hits and a walk with two Ks.

Bush led NU at the plate with the home run. She also walked and scored both of Northwestern's runs.