Wednesday, March 28
Urbana, IL
5:30 p.m. CT
Northwestern
20-10, 3-2
9
at
15
Illinois
22-11, 3-2
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
R
H
E
Northwestern
0
7
0
0
2
0
0
9
13
4
Illinois
3
3
4
2
3
0
X
15
15
3
Wildcats Fall In Second Game Slugfest Against Illini, 15-9
3/28/2018 9:02:00 PM | Softball
URBANA, Ill. – On a soggy Wednesday evening only Peppa Pig could love, Illinois earned a split of a doubleheader with Northwestern via a 15-9 run-fest at Eichelberger Field.
Northwestern now is 20-10 overall on the season, 3-2 in the Big Ten after taking game one of the series, 8-7. Illinois now is 22-11, 3-2 B1G after Wednesday's action.
The Wildcats now return home to host the Nebraska Cornhuskers March 30-April 1. First pitch Friday is scheduled for 3 p.m., Saturday is a 1 p.m. start and Sunday is a noon beginning.
BUY YOUR NORTHWESTERN TICKETS AND SEASON PASSES HERE!
Though Northwestern Game Two starter Kenna Wilkey slammed the door shut on an Illinois home run parade in Wednesday's first contest, the prolific Illini offense got rolling early in the second game. With one out, a single, double and home run staked Illinois to a quick 3-0 lead.
The Wildcats clawed back immediately. With the Illini on essentially a 10-0 run dating to the fifth inning of Wednesday's opener, Northwestern used a two-out rally to get its offensive mojo back flowing. And it flowed in a SEVEN-run deluge. Lily Novak started the waterfall with a single before Morgan Newport singled, as well. Starting pitcher Wilkey then flexed into the offensive lineup and drew a bases-loading walk before giving way to the Mac Dunlap on the base paths.
Sabrina Rabin started the scoring with a two-run double into the gap in left-center before Marissa Panko loaded the bases again with a walk. At that point, Rachel Lewis stepped to the plate and continued her Wonder Woman impression. After hitting two home runs in Wednesday's first game, Lewis smashed a no-doubt grand slam to dead center, flipping the script and putting the Wildcats on top, 6-3. Not one to be left out of a party, Morgan Nelson made it back-to-back jacks with a deep drive over the wall in left, making it a 7-3 score.
For the first-year Lewis, the blast was her first-collegiate grand slam, her 11th dinger of the season and her fifth home run in Big Ten play. Nelson's shot was her fifth of the year and the 15th of the junior's career. She and Lewis went back-to-back once earlier this season in a 13-0 victory March 9 against Penn State.
Illinois answered back, slugging a two-out, three-run home run in the bottom of the second to pull back within a run, 7-6, on the Illini's second three-run homer of the game. Then, after the Wildcats left the bases loaded without scoring in the top of the third, the Illini took advantage of two NU errors in the bottom half to plate four unearned runs and regain the lead, 10-7. Midway through the rally Nicole Bond replaced Wilkey in the circle, stranding a pair of runners with an inning-ending K.
After Illinois extended its lead out to five, 12-7, Northwestern got back on the scoring horse. Lewis reached on a one-out single in the top of the fifth, then moved to second when Nelson reached via catcher's interference. Marquez followed with a fly ball into right-center that was dropped for a bases-loading error, and Nettling got NU back swinging with a banging double off the wall in left-center, bringing home a pair of runs (though the trail runner was thrown out at the plate on a bang-bang play). Following the double, Novak walked and Newport singled to again load the bases, but a Dunlap home run in a silo was caught in center to end the inning with the score 12-9.
Two #B1GCats errors started the bottom of the fifth in the slop, and the Illini took advantage with three more runs to make it 15-9. Newport entered the circle in relief in the bottom of the sixth and executed a scoreless inning, successfully holding Illinois off the board in a frame for the first time in the contest. In that defensive inning, Panko completed a very nice catch-and-throw deep in the hole at short made all the more impressive by the slick conditions late in the contest.
Novak notched her third single of the game with two outs in the seventh, but that was all for the Wildcats.
Wilkey (7-4) took the loss, allowing 10 runs (six earned) on nine hits and a walk with two strikeouts in 2.2 innings. Bond went 2.1 frames of relief, giving up five runs (two earned) on five hits and two walks with two Ks. Newport went the final inning, allowing no runs on with one hit.
Offensively, Rabin went 3-for-5 with two RBIs and a run while Lewis finished 2-for-4 with four RBIs and two runs scored. Nelson scored twice, Nettling drove in two, Novak had three hits and Newport had a two-hit game.
Northwestern now is 20-10 overall on the season, 3-2 in the Big Ten after taking game one of the series, 8-7. Illinois now is 22-11, 3-2 B1G after Wednesday's action.
The Wildcats now return home to host the Nebraska Cornhuskers March 30-April 1. First pitch Friday is scheduled for 3 p.m., Saturday is a 1 p.m. start and Sunday is a noon beginning.
BUY YOUR NORTHWESTERN TICKETS AND SEASON PASSES HERE!
Though Northwestern Game Two starter Kenna Wilkey slammed the door shut on an Illinois home run parade in Wednesday's first contest, the prolific Illini offense got rolling early in the second game. With one out, a single, double and home run staked Illinois to a quick 3-0 lead.
The Wildcats clawed back immediately. With the Illini on essentially a 10-0 run dating to the fifth inning of Wednesday's opener, Northwestern used a two-out rally to get its offensive mojo back flowing. And it flowed in a SEVEN-run deluge. Lily Novak started the waterfall with a single before Morgan Newport singled, as well. Starting pitcher Wilkey then flexed into the offensive lineup and drew a bases-loading walk before giving way to the Mac Dunlap on the base paths.
Sabrina Rabin started the scoring with a two-run double into the gap in left-center before Marissa Panko loaded the bases again with a walk. At that point, Rachel Lewis stepped to the plate and continued her Wonder Woman impression. After hitting two home runs in Wednesday's first game, Lewis smashed a no-doubt grand slam to dead center, flipping the script and putting the Wildcats on top, 6-3. Not one to be left out of a party, Morgan Nelson made it back-to-back jacks with a deep drive over the wall in left, making it a 7-3 score.
For the first-year Lewis, the blast was her first-collegiate grand slam, her 11th dinger of the season and her fifth home run in Big Ten play. Nelson's shot was her fifth of the year and the 15th of the junior's career. She and Lewis went back-to-back once earlier this season in a 13-0 victory March 9 against Penn State.
Illinois answered back, slugging a two-out, three-run home run in the bottom of the second to pull back within a run, 7-6, on the Illini's second three-run homer of the game. Then, after the Wildcats left the bases loaded without scoring in the top of the third, the Illini took advantage of two NU errors in the bottom half to plate four unearned runs and regain the lead, 10-7. Midway through the rally Nicole Bond replaced Wilkey in the circle, stranding a pair of runners with an inning-ending K.
After Illinois extended its lead out to five, 12-7, Northwestern got back on the scoring horse. Lewis reached on a one-out single in the top of the fifth, then moved to second when Nelson reached via catcher's interference. Marquez followed with a fly ball into right-center that was dropped for a bases-loading error, and Nettling got NU back swinging with a banging double off the wall in left-center, bringing home a pair of runs (though the trail runner was thrown out at the plate on a bang-bang play). Following the double, Novak walked and Newport singled to again load the bases, but a Dunlap home run in a silo was caught in center to end the inning with the score 12-9.
Two #B1GCats errors started the bottom of the fifth in the slop, and the Illini took advantage with three more runs to make it 15-9. Newport entered the circle in relief in the bottom of the sixth and executed a scoreless inning, successfully holding Illinois off the board in a frame for the first time in the contest. In that defensive inning, Panko completed a very nice catch-and-throw deep in the hole at short made all the more impressive by the slick conditions late in the contest.
Novak notched her third single of the game with two outs in the seventh, but that was all for the Wildcats.
Wilkey (7-4) took the loss, allowing 10 runs (six earned) on nine hits and a walk with two strikeouts in 2.2 innings. Bond went 2.1 frames of relief, giving up five runs (two earned) on five hits and two walks with two Ks. Newport went the final inning, allowing no runs on with one hit.
Offensively, Rabin went 3-for-5 with two RBIs and a run while Lewis finished 2-for-4 with four RBIs and two runs scored. Nelson scored twice, Nettling drove in two, Novak had three hits and Newport had a two-hit game.
••••••
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Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Emily Oestreich (12-5)
L: Wilkey, Kenna (7-4)
Batting:
2B: Rabin, Sabrina 1 ; Nettling, Sammy 1
HR: Lewis, Rachel 1 ; Nelson, Morgan 1
RBI: Rabin, Sabrina 2 ; Lewis, Rachel 4 ; Nelson, Morgan 1 ; Nettling, Sammy 2
Base Running:
RUNS: Rabin, Sabrina 1 ; Panko, Marissa 1 ; Lewis, Rachel 2 ; Nelson, Morgan 2 ; Novak, Lily 1 ; Newport, Morgan 1 ; Dunlap, Mac 1
CS: Rabin, Sabrina 1
HBP: Nelson, Morgan 1 ; Marquez, Brooke 1 ; Novak, Lily 1
Batting:
2B: Carly Thomas 1 ; Bella Loya 1 ; Maddi Doane 1 ; Veronica Ruelius 1
HR: Carly Thomas 1 ; Stephanie Abello 1 ; Maddi Doane 1
RBI: Kiana Sherlund 1 ; Carly Thomas 4 ; Stephanie Abello 5 ; Maddi Doane 2 ; Veronica Ruelius 2
SH: Alexis Carrillo 2
Base Running:
RUNS: Kiana Sherlund 2 ; Sam Acosta 3 ; Carly Thomas 2 ; Stephanie Abello 2 ; Maddi Doane 3 ; Alexis Carrillo 1 ; Kate Giddens 2
SB: Sam Acosta 1 ; Stephanie Abello 1 ; Kate Giddens 1
CS: Leigh Farina 1
HBP: Kate Giddens 1
Game Leaders
Hitting
AB
5
R
1
H
3
RBI
2
AB
4
R
2
H
2
RBI
4
AB
3
R
1
H
2
RBI
0
dp/p
AB
5
R
1
H
2
RBI
0
Players Mentioned
P
/ Softball
IF
/ SoftballIF/OF
/ Softball
IF/C
/ SoftballP/U
/ SoftballIF
/ Softball
IF/OF
/ SoftballOF
/ Softball
P
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