#B1GCats Bounce Back Big, Even Series With Cornhuskers, 8-3

3/31/2018 3:23:00 PM | Softball

Box Score

EVANSTON, Ill. – Senior Nicole Bond spun a four-hitter and Northwestern scored eight unanswered runs to even its series against Nebraska Saturday with an 8-3 win over the Cornhuskers at Sharon J. Drysdale Field.

Northwestern now is 21-11 overall on the season, 4-3 in the Big Ten. Nebraska is 25-11, 3-2 in the conference.

NU and Nebraska conclude their series at noon CT tomorrow, Sunday, April 1 at Sharon J. Drysdale Field. Bring the kids, there will be an Easter Eggs with great prizes hidden around the ballpark!

BUY YOUR NORTHWESTERN TICKETS AND SEASON PASSES HERE!

As it did in Friday's opener, Nebraska used a solo home run in the top of the first to take an early lead on Saturday. With two outs against Northwestern starter Bond, the Cornhusker at the plate left the park to make it a 1-0 contest. Whereas Friday the Nebraska rally continued and eventually netted three runs, Bond put a stop to things after the Saturday blast with a line drive to Mac Dunlap at third.

The Wildcats loaded the bases with two outs in the bottom of the first thanks to a Marissa Panko single, an error on a Rachel Lewis grounder and a Sammy Nettling walk. Lily Novak made a bid at the board, but her drive into deep left center was tracked down in the heavy winds to end the frame.

In the top of the third, Nebraska added a two-out, two-run home run to its total, making it a 3-0 game. This time, the Wildcats were ready with an answer. Sabrina Rabin led off the bottom half with a single, moving to second when Lewis was hit by a pitch. Morgan Nelson followed with a line-drive shot over the fence in left-center, tying the game, 3-3, with one big bolt.

Nelson's home run was her sixth of the season and the 16^th of the junior's career.

With the score the same in the bottom of the fifth, Northwestern began to draw away at the top of the homestretch. Rabin began the inning by reaching on an error, making her to second on an errant throw. Panko singled for the second time to move Rabin to third before Lewis drove a double into deep right field that gave the Wildcats a 4-3 lead. Nettling followed Lewis' two-bagger with one of her own, smashing a ball that one-hopped the fence in right center and brought both Panko and Lewis in to make it a 6-3 game.

After Nettling's double, Nebraska lifted its starter Kaylan Jablonski in favor of Sydney McLeod, who kept NU from growing its lead any further.

Just like the following the previous three-run outburst, Bond held her serve in the top of the sixth, allowing only a leadoff walk to blemish the frame.

The Wildcats added a double shot of insurance in the bottom of the sixth, starting another rally via a Nebraska error when pinch hitter Summer Hargett got herself aboard. Dunlap re-entered to run, getting to second base on a Rabin groundout. Panko then pounded a double into center that scored Dunlap before, one out later, Nelson doubled Panko home to make it an 8-3 ballgame.

Bond allowed only a two-out single in the top of the seventh – her first hit given up since the home run in the third – before finishing off her first complete-game of the season. Bond moved to 2-1 on the year, giving up three runs on four hits and four walks with three strikeouts.

Nelson led NU at the plate with her two big hits, driving in four. Panko had a 3-for-4 day, scoring twice and driving in a run. Nettling was 2-for-3 with two RBIs, and both Rabin and Lewis scored twice.