Saturday, March 17
Bloomington, Ind.
9:10 a.m. CT/10:10 a.m. ET
Northwestern
16-8
5
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UIC
10-7
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Northwestern
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UIC
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Photo by: Stephen J. Carrera
Wildcats Plate Pair In Seventh To Push Past Flames, 5-3
3/17/2018 11:50:00 AM | Softball
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Northwestern opened a Saturday double-dip at the Hoosier Classic by scoring a pair of runs in the top of the seventh inning to defeat UIC, 5-3.
Northwestern improves to 16-8 overall on the season while running its current winning streak to seven games. UIC falls to 10-7 on the year with its loss to the Wildcats.
Northwestern is back in action later today at 2 p.m. CT/3 p.m. ET in a non-conference contest against Indiana before returning home to open the conference season at Sharon J. Drysdale Field March 23-25 against Minnesota.
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Both teams erased early base runners with double plays. In the bottom of the first, Northwestern starter Kenna Wilkey issued a four-pitch walk to the leadoff batter before gloving a soft line drive back at her and firing quickly to first to double up the Flame on base. In the top off the second, Morgan Nelson led off with a single and stole second, but she was put out trying to take third on a deep Lily Novak fly out with a perfect throw from right-center.
It was UIC breaking through first with a two-out rally in the third. With two outs and nobody on, the Flames got a pair of singles before Northwestern made an error, allowing a run to come home for a 1-0 UIC edge.
Northwestern responded immediately with patience and poise, taking the lead in the top of the fourth the hard way. Rachel Lewis was hit by a one-out pitch and stole second, where she stood with two outs in the inning. At that point, Novak, Brooke Marquez and Morgan Newport all drew walks to force Lewis home. UIC starter Karissa Frazier then hit Sammy Nettling with a pitch to force Novak across, giving the Wildcats a 2-1 lead.
UIC had its own answer in the bottom half of the inning in what quickly had turned into a see-saw battle. After a leadoff walk and a one-out single, the Flames hit a bases-clearing double out into left center that pushed them back out in front, 3-2. Later in the inning, with the bases loaded and two outs, the batter hit a funky hopper toward Novak at first, and the junior body blocked it to her right. She was able to retrieve it in time to flip to Lewis, who had raced over from second to cover the bag, for the force out to keep it a one-run deficit.
Again, Northwestern had an immediate answer. With one out in the top of the fifth, Marissa Panko lifted a fly ball down the line in medium-shallow left field that the left fielder and shortstop both raced toward and neither could get to. It fell just by them as they both reached up for it, and Panko never stopped running on what turned into a triple. Lewis nearly brought her home, but was stopped on a nice stab at third on a hard-hit grounder for the second out of the inning. Nelson had her back, however, ripping a single into center to plate Panko and tie the score, 3-3.
Newport entered the circle in relief in the bottom of the fifth, and UIC eventually got runners to second and third against her with two outs. Newport, however, calmly fanned the batter at the plate to end the inning and keep the contest knotted.
Northwestern took the lead back for good in the top of the seventh. Sabrina Rabin started the rally with a leadoff single and a steal of second. She moved to third on a productive Panko groundout, then came home when Lewis sent a dying quail out into center for an RBI single and a 4-3 NU edge. UIC later attempted to put out Lewis at second on a Nelson grounder, but Lewis was too fast and everyone was safe. The Flames elected to replace Frazier in the circle with Marley Hanlon, and on the first pitch she threw, both Lewis and Nelson took off on stolen base attempts. The UIC throw down to third skipped into left field, and Lewis raced home on the error to make it a 5-3 contest.
In the bottom of the seventh, the Flames notched a one-out single, but the Wildcats immediately turned a textbook 4-6-3 double play to end the game.
Newport (6-2) got the win in relief, chucking 3.0 frames and allowing just a single hit along with three walks with three strikeouts. Wilkey went 4.0 in the start, giving up three runs (two earned) on six hits and four walks with a couple of Ks.
Nelson led NU at the plate with a pair of hits and two steals. Lewis scored twice and also swiped two bags.
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Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Newport, Morgan (6-2)
L: FRAZIER, Karissa (4-2)
Batting:
2B: Nettling, Sammy 1
3B: Panko, Marissa 1
RBI: Lewis, Rachel 1 ; Nelson, Morgan 1 ; Newport, Morgan 1 ; Nettling, Sammy 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Rabin, Sabrina 1 ; Panko, Marissa 1 ; Lewis, Rachel 2 ; Novak, Lily 1
SB: Rabin, Sabrina 1 ; Lewis, Rachel 2 ; Nelson, Morgan 2
CS: Bartz, Emma 1 ; Dunlap, Mac 1
HBP: Lewis, Rachel 1 ; Nettling, Sammy 1
Batting:
2B: WETZEL, Emily 1
RBI: WETZEL, Emily 2
SH: WATTS, Lexi 1
Base Running:
RUNS: WATTS, Lexi 1 ; WEDL, Kayla 1 ; GRIMAN, Alyssa 1
SB: WATTS, Lexi 1 ; CAIRNS, Taylor 1 ; GRIMAN, Alyssa 1
Game Leaders
AB
4
R
0
H
2
RBI
1
AB
4
R
1
H
1
RBI
0
AB
4
R
1
H
1
RBI
0
AB
3
R
2
H
1
RBI
1
Players Mentioned
IF/OF
/ Softball
IF
/ SoftballIF/C
/ Softball
C
/ Softball
P/U
/ Softball
IF
/ SoftballIF/OF
/ SoftballOF
/ Softball
P
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