#B1GCats Complete Saturday Sweep of Terrapins, 6-5

4/8/2017 5:27:00 PM | Softball

Box Score

EVANSTON, Ill. – Northwestern completed a doubleheader sweep of Maryland Saturday at Sharon J. Drysdale Field, holding off the Terps to earn a 6-5 victory in the nightcap.

Northwestern improves to 15-19 on the year with its win, 3-5 in the B1G. Maryland falls to 7-28-1, 0-8 B1G with its loss.

The Wildcats and Terrapins conclude their series at noon CT tomorrow, Sunday, April 9.

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Nicole Bond worked an eight-pitch 1-2-3 top of the first, then Northwestern put 1-2-3 runs on the scoreboard on one swing in the bottom half. Sabrina Rabin reached on a leadoff error and Krista Williams singled to start the frame. With one out, Anna Petersen went full Petey on a pitch, nearly delivering into the gaping hole in the under-construction Welsh-Ryan Arena beyond left field for a massive three-run home run.

The dinger was the fifth of the season for Petersen and her third in Big Ten play. She now has seven home runs in her Northwestern career.

Bond continued dealing and the score remained the same until Maryland got its first hit and run off the NU senior with a leadoff home run in the fourth. Two more hits and an error followed to allow the Terrapins to knot the score, 3-3. Maryland could have taken the lead in the frame, but Morgan Nelson did well to charge a squeeze bunt from third and flip to Sammy Nettling at the plate for an out. Williams ended the inning by tracking down a foul ball deep in the left field corner.

Northwestern wasted little time ripping the lead back. Nelson led off the bottom of the fourth with a walk and Brooke Marquez sacrificed her to second before Kenzie Ellis singled her to third. Abbey Boyd entered to run for Ellis at first, executing a picture-perfect double steal with Nelson to put NU right back on top, 4-3. Lily Novak kept the inning going with a single, giving way to pinch runner Eva Stees.

The Terrapins were able to retire Boyd at the plate on a fielder's choice grounder, leaving two on with two out. At the point, Rabin stepped into one and drilled a double over the head of the right fielder, making the score 6-3 heading into the fifth frame.

Maryland scratched across a run on a wild pitch in the fifth, then a leadoff single in the sixth led to Morgan Newport entering the circle in relief. Eventually the Terrapins loaded the bases and pushed that leadoff batter home to pull within a single run, 6-5. Newport bore down and struck out the Nos. 3 and 4 batters to leave 'em loaded and keep NU on top.

In the top of the seventh, Newport kept her momentum rolling with a 1-2-3 inning to pick up her third save of the season. Bond (3-6) got the win, tossing five-plus innings and allowing five runs (four earned) on five hits and two walks with four strikeouts. Newport went 2.0 innings, surrendering no runs on two hits and a walk with four Ks.

Petersen led NU at the plate with two hits and three batted in. Rabin had two RBIs.