Resilient Wildcats Come Back Again, Take Series From Cornhuskers, 9-5

4/1/2018 3:05:00 PM | Softball

Box Score

EVANSTON, Ill. – For the second straight day, Northwestern fell behind early against Nebraska only to roar back, this time plating nine unanswered runs to earn a 9-5 decision over the Cornhuskers Sunday at Sharon J. Drysdale Field.

Northwestern now is 22-11 overall on the season, 5-3 in the Big Ten. Nebraska is 25-12, 3-3 in the conference. The Wildcats earned the series victory by virtue of a similar contest Saturday in which NU fell behind, 3-0, and came back to win 8-3.

Four of Northwestern's five conference wins this season have been of the come-from-behind variety.

Northwestern returns to action April 6-8 in a road series at Purdue before returning home April 13-15 to take on No. 24 Ohio State at Sharon J. Drysdale Field.

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On the very first pitch of the game from Wildcats starter Nicole Bond, Nebraska drove a ball deep into center field where Sabrina Rabin was on patrol. She raced back and reached up over her head, snagging the ball in snow cone style before tumbling over onto the track for the first out of the contest. Despite the catch, the Cornhuskers were able to piece together a two-run rally with an RBI single and a sacrifice fly to take a 2-0 lead into the bottom half.

In the top of the second, Bond retired the first two batters she faced before issuing walks to the next couple of Cornhuskers. Kenna Wilkey entered the circle in relief, but the first Husker she saw swatted a three-run home run to extend Nebraska's lead to 5-0.

Northwestern started its offensive response in the bottom of the third after a 1-2-3 top half from Wilkey in the circle, and the Wildcats did not stop until the game was tied! Singles by Mac Dunlap, Rabin and Rachel Lewis loaded the bases with one out, then Morgan Nelson worked herself a full-count walk to force the first run across. Sammy Nettling then lifted a deep fly ball into right center that the fielder dropped, allowing both Marissa Panko (who had reached on a fielder's choice) and Lewis to come around to score. Lily Novak kept the rally going with an RBI single, then Brooke Marquez capped it with a game-tying sacrifice fly into left.

Wilkey chucked another 1-2-3 frame in the top of the fourth, and the Northwestern offense continued to push in the bottom half. Nebraska inserted a relief pitcher, Olivia Ferrell, into the circle to start the frame. With one out, Dunlap walked followed by a Rabin single. Panko sent 'em both around to the plate with a double into the right-center gap, surging the Wildcats out in front, 7-5, after four complete.

The momentum continued to take a harder and harder Northwestern direction in the fifth. Nebraska notched its first base runner of the game since the second inning, but Dunlap started a 5-4-3 around the horn double play to end the inning. In the bottom half, Wilkey and Dunlap each singled with two outs before Rabin ripped a double into center that scored pinch runner Eva Stees and Dunlap following a Huskers throwing error on the play.

Wilkey's third perfect inning of the game featured two strikeouts in the top of the sixth. In the bottom half, Nelson doubled on a laser to left before Nettling lasered her own base knock to left, pushing Nelson to third. The Huskers made another pitching change, putting Regan Mergele into the circle, and she stranded both of her inherited runners.

Nebraska put together its best threat of the game since the second in the top of the seventh. The Huskers loaded the bases with one out, then Wilkey got a huge out when she got the cleanup Cornhusker to foul out to Panko behind third. Another foul out followed to end the game.

Wilkey got the win in relief to improve to 8-4 on the year. She allowed one run on three hits and one walk with three strikeouts in 5.1 frames. Bond started for the second-straight game, going 1.2 innings and allowing four runs on two hits and four walks.

At the plate, Rabin had a 3-for-4 performance, scoring twice and driving in a run. Dunlap was a perfect 2-for-2 with a walk and two runs scored, and Nelson was a perfect 1-for-1 with three walks. Panko drove in a pair.