Nebraska Rallies Past Northwestern In Extras, 5-4 (8)

4/29/2017 6:16:00 PM | Softball

Box Score

LINCOLN, Neb. – In one of the more heartbreaking games of 2017, Nebraska scored the game-tying run with two outs in the bottom of the seventh before plating a run in the eighth to defeat Northwestern, 5-4 (8), Saturday in the second game of a doubleheader at Bowlin Stadium.

Northwestern now is 20-27 on the season, 6-12 in the Big Ten. Nebraska is 24-25, 13-7 B1G. 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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The game began ominously for the #B1GCats. With one out, Krista Williams singled followed by walks to Marissa Panko and Morgan Nelson that loaded the bases. Kenzie Ellis then made contact with what was essentially swinging bunt that died right in front of the plate. The catcher stepped out and grabbed the ball, touching home plate for the force before spinning and making an inaccurate throw to first in an attempt at a double play. Instead of trail runners coming home on the error, however, the home plate umpire ruled that Ellis -- running straight to first -- interfered with the bad throw, ending the inning with a run taken off the board via a double play.

Nebraska took advantage to take the game's first lead, plating a run in the bottom of the first on a sacrifice fly before adding a solo home run in the bottom of the second for a 2-0 lead against Ellis, NU's starter in the circle.

Facing all kinds of adversity in this series from blustery winds, rough early innings and controversial calls, Northwestern said ENOUGH in the top of the third. With two outs in the inning and nobody on, Williams singled for the second time in the game. That base knock started a string of four-straight singles from Panko, Nelson and Ellis, resulting in a three-run rally that pushed the Wildcats on top, 3-2.

Nebraska had designs on responding in the bottom half, starting off with a single. Alcy Bush at first had other ideas, gloving a hard-hit one-out line drive and reaching bag to double up the runner to end the frame.

After being thwarted from adding to its lead with two runners in scoring position in the fourth, NU pushed across another run in the fifth. Panko led off with a single, then was safe at second when Nebraska tried to get the lead out on a Nelson ground ball. Ellis followed with a double into center that scored Panko and made it a 4-2 game. NU appeared to add a fifth run on a Lily Novak pinch-hit sacrifice fly, but the home plate umpire ruled the runner at third to have improperly tagged up, taking another Wildcats score off the board.

Nebraska got back within a run when a couple of two-out errors on the infield in the fifth allowed a Husker to find the plate, making it a 4-3 contest. While miscues contributed to a run in the fifth, two stellar NU catches in the sixth kept the Wildcats on top. With no outs, Bush leapt to grab a smash at first before Williams went into a dive to catch a dying liner in left during a 1-2-3 frame for Ellis.

With the score the same in the bottom of the seventh, Nebraska got a one-out base runner to second on NU's fourth error of the game. Ellis got the next batter to ground to Panko at short before unintentionally intentionally walking Nebraska's dangerous senior MJ Knighten with first base open. The next Husker hit a grounder that Panko fielded deep behind second base, and spun toward first with no play. The runner at second never stopped with two outs, and Panko's throw to the plate was on the money, but the tag was ruled to be just late and the Huskers tied the game, 4-4. With the winning run now at third, Ellis recovered to get a weak grounder to third, sending the game to extras.

Ellis singled to lead off the eighth and was erased on a one-out Nettling fielder's choice grounder. With Nettling now at first and two outs, Brooke Marquez shot a single back through the middle that sent Nettling racing around to third. Bush then lifted a fly ball to deep center, but it was caught to end the inning.

The Huskers led off the bottom of the eighth with a double, then sacrificed that runner to third. The next batter hit a high chopper in the air that did not come down in enough time for a throw to the plate, giving Nebraska the winning run.

After throwing 5.2 innings of relief in Saturday's first game, Ellis (3-8) took a hard-luck loss in the second. She went the distance, throwing 7.1 frames and allowing five runs (three earned) on six hits and three walks with four strikeouts.

At the plate, Ellis also led NU with three hits and two RBIs. Williams and Panko each had two hits, with Panko scoring twice.