Northwestern Speeds Past Illinois, 7-4

5/3/2017 3:57:00 PM | Softball

Box Score

EVANSTON, Ill. – Northwestern used pure speed and small-ball Wednesday in the first game of a doubleheader against Illinois at Sharon J. Drysdale Field, earning a 7-4 victory with 10 hits, only four of which left the infield.

Northwestern now is 21-27 on the season, 7-12 in the Big Ten. Illinois is 35-14, 13-5 in the conference. The two teams conclude their doubleheader immediately LIVE on BTN.

Illinois got the drop on NU to begin the game, sending a two-run home run to left field against Wildcats starter Kaley Winegarner, who otherwise retired everyone else she faced in the frame.

While the Illini started their scoring with power, the Wildcats did it with nothing but speed. Prolific and extended speed at that: NU sent nine batters to the plate and scored four times with just one ball leaving the infield.

Sabrina Rabin led off the bottom of the first with a bunt single, then stole second and moved to third when Krista Williams deadened an infield single herself. Williams swiped second, and the throw went sailing into center to allow Rabin to score. Marissa Panko then worked a walk before Morgan Nelson dropped down a sacrifice bunt, and the throw on that play also went sailing into the outfield to plate both Williams and Panko for a 3-2 NU lead.

Later, with two outs, Sammy Nettling ripped a single into right field that brought Nelson home, extending NU's edge to two, 4-2.

The score remained the same until an Illinois solo home run to lead off the top of the fourth, cutting the NU lead to one, 4-3.

Northwestern's first serious rally of the game since the first came in the fifth, and the Wildcats cashed in there, too. Both Panko and Nelson led off with bunt singles before Anna Petersen bunted them up a base. Kenzie Ellis then smoked a line drive into the left-center field that scored them both and made it a 6-3 ballgame.

Illinois put a base runner on near the top of its lineup in the top of the sixth, but Nelson snared a screecher at third and threw across the diamond to double up the Illini on first, ending the frame on the double play.

NU added one more insurance run in the bottom of the sixth. Rabin beat out her third infield single of the game and stole second for the second time. Williams sacrificed her to third before, with two outs, Panko singled her home to make it a 7-3 contest.

Illinois got that run right back with a leadoff home run in the top of the seventh, then the next batter singled. Winegarner then struck out a pinch hitter and it was all gravy from there for a complete-game, 7-4 victory.

Winegarner (7-6) was charged with four runs on six hits and a walk with one strikeout in her complete-game victory.

Rabin led NU at the plate with three hits, two runs and two steals. Panko and Nelson each had two hits and two runs apiece while Ellis drove in two.