Northwestern University Athletics
Northwestern
27-13, 9-5
Rutgers
17-24, 2-10
Northwestern's Offense Rolls On In 15-1 (5) Run-Rule Of Rutgers
4/20/2018 4:06:00 PM | Softball
Northwestern now is 27-13 overall on the season, 9-5 in the Big Ten. Rutgers is 17-24 on the year, 2-10 in the league.
The Wildcats and Scarlet Knights do battle against at noon CT/1 p.m. ET tomorrow, Saturday, April 21. The series finale is at 11 a.m. CT/noon ET Sunday, April 22. NU returns to Evanston for a four-game home stand beginning April 25 against Loyola (Chicago) and continuing during Senior Weekend April 27-29 against Iowa.
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Northwestern scored runs in four of Friday's five innings. Dating to the Wildcats' April 8 win over Purdue, NU has scored in 23 of its last 30 offensive innings. Over that stretch of five contests, Northwestern is averaging 12.8 runs per game and has four run-rule victories, including a pair over then-No. 22 Ohio State.
NU's 16-hit attack accounted for 32 total bases, which is tied for the third-most in school single-game history. The last time the Wildcats had at least 32 total bases in a game was Opening Day 2016 against Virginia.
Sabrina Rabin led the onslaught with a three-run, three-RBI, four-hit performance that fell just a double short of the cycle; it was her second four-hit game of the season and fifth of her career. She stole a base in the contest to give her 124 for her career and sole possession of fourth place in Big Ten history. She is second in NU history behind conference record holder Emily Allard (154 steals). Rabin also added three runs to her career total to give her 193, moving her up into ninth place in B1G history.
Northwestern jumped all over Rutgers from the start in this game, beginning with a Rabin single and stolen base. One out later, Morgan Nelson drove a pitch over the fence in left field to stake the Wildcats to a 2-0 lead on her 11th home run of the season and the 21st of her career.
The #B1GCats get this series started right: Morgan Nelson with a two-run HOME RUN in the top of the first!#B1GCats 2, Rutgers 0 | T1 pic.twitter.com/wGAsktwYu6
— NorthwesternSoftball (@NUSBcats) April 20, 2018
NU was not done after the dinger, re-starting the rally with a Sammy Nettling walk and a Marissa Panko single. Lily Novak added another run to the Wildcats total with an RBI single back through the middle that plated Nettling to make it a 3-0 game entering the bottom of the first.
Kenna Wilkey fired a 13-pitch scoreless bottom half before Rutgers made an early pitching change to begin the second, lifting Whitney Jones for Cambria Keefer, but the song remained the same for the red-hot Northwestern offense…which hung a seven spot on the new hurler!
It all started with a Brooke Marquez bunt single before Rabin roped an RBI triple to right center.
Sabrina Rabin with an RBI TRIPLE in the top of the second to drive in Brooke Marquez!#B1GCats 4, Rutgers 0 | T2 pic.twitter.com/QBb6Qmm9lN
— NorthwesternSoftball (@NUSBcats) April 20, 2018
Both Rachel Lewis and Nelson were hit by pitches to load the bases, then the scoring fun began in earnest. Nettling and Panko each crushed two-run doubles to the fence in various locations in and around right field, with Panko's poke nearly leaving the park.
Sammy Nettling brings in two runs with a bases-loaded double in the second!!#B1GCats 6, Rutgers 0 | T2 pic.twitter.com/3wHO7iyfjU
— NorthwesternSoftball (@NUSBcats) April 20, 2018
Marissa Panko misses a home run by inches, but still drives in two more with this booming double!!!#B1GCats 8, Rutgers 0 | T2 pic.twitter.com/S5eV5js8Ac
— NorthwesternSoftball (@NUSBcats) April 20, 2018
Then, with two outs, Wilkey put the exclamation point on the festivities with a two-run home run to left center, giving herself a 10-0 cushion in the circle.
Wilkey's blast was her sixth of the season.
We can't cut these highlights fast enough!
— NorthwesternSoftball (@NUSBcats) April 20, 2018
Kenna Wilkey with a two-run HOME RUN!! The #B1GCats have plated seven in the second!!#B1GCats 10, Rutgers 0 | T2 pic.twitter.com/NUNVk5Raf2
Northwestern flashed more power in the top of the third, starting with a Mac Dunlap pinch hit single. Rabin followed with a deep drive over the fence in right-center for her first home run of the season and just the second of her entire four-year career. Then, for the fifth time this season and the first time not involving Nelson, Northwestern registered back-to-back jacks for the 'Cats when Lewis unloaded a solo shot to left field for her 15th dinger of the season and a 13-0 NU edge.
Lewis' 15 home runs rank fifth in Northwestern single-season history; she is four dingers shy of the first-year record set by Adrienne Monka in 2009.
Sabrina Rabin crushes the second home run of her CAREER and the #B1GCats lead Rutgers by 12!!
— NorthwesternSoftball (@NUSBcats) April 20, 2018
NU 12, Rutgers 0 | T3 pic.twitter.com/UMfoMqTl1p
BACK-TO-BACK JACKS FOR THE 'CATS!!
— NorthwesternSoftball (@NUSBcats) April 20, 2018
This time? Rachel Lewis follows Sabrina Rabin with a solo shot!!#B1GCats 13, Rutgers 0 | T3 pic.twitter.com/12sjze7a4k
Rutgers again made a pitching change after the two home runs, pitting Taryn Collins in the circle. Collins was able to end the inning with no more Wildcats runs across.
In the fourth, Rabin singled with two outs, but Northwestern did not add to its total.
Morgan Newport entered the circle in relief in the bottom of the fourth and Rutgers put a pair of runners aboard against her, but Dunlap at third started a 5-3 double play to end the frame with no one across.
The Wildcats put the finishing touches on this gem in the fifth. Nelson was hit by a pitch to start the inning before Nettling singled. Maegan Hollins pinch ran for Nettling and Emma Bartz pinch hit at the plate, driving an RBI single into right for her first-career hit and a 14-0 Northwestern lead. Hollins ended up at third on the Bartz knock, then raced home when pinch hitter Summer Hargett lifted a sacrifice fly into left to account for the final run in NU's 15-run outburst.
The first-career hit for Emma Bartz is an RBI single in the fifth!!#B1GCats 14, Rutgers 0 | T5 pic.twitter.com/X7zF7gywmN
— NorthwesternSoftball (@NUSBcats) April 20, 2018
Rutgers was able to push across a run in the bottom of the fifth, but it still ended early, 15-1 (5).
In addition to Rabin's big day, Nelson finished 2-for-2 with two HBPs, scoring three times and driving in two. Nettling was 2-for-2 with two walks, scoring twice and driving in a pair. Panko also had two hits and two RBIs while Wilkey drove in two and Lewis scored twice.
Wilkey (13-4) needed just three innings to pick up her fifth-straight victory for the Wildcats. She allowed no runs on two hits with a walk and two strikeouts. Newport went 2.0 innings in relief, surrendering one run on three hits and a walk with one K.
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Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Wilkey, Kenna (13-4)
L: Whitney Jones (8-12)
Batting:
2B: Nettling, Sammy 1 ; Panko, Marissa 1
3B: Rabin, Sabrina 1
HR: Rabin, Sabrina 1 ; Lewis, Rachel 1 ; Nelson, Morgan 1 ; Wilkey, Kenna 1
RBI: Rabin, Sabrina 3 ; Lewis, Rachel 1 ; Nelson, Morgan 2 ; Nettling, Sammy 2 ; Panko, Marissa 2 ; Bartz, Emma 1 ; Novak, Lily 1 ; Hargett, Summer 1 ; Wilkey, Kenna 2
SF: Hargett, Summer 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Rabin, Sabrina 3 ; Lewis, Rachel 2 ; Nelson, Morgan 3 ; Nettling, Sammy 2 ; Hollins, Maegan 1 ; Panko, Marissa 1 ; Wilkey, Kenna 1 ; Marquez, Brooke 1 ; Dunlap, Mac 1
SB: Rabin, Sabrina 1 ; Lewis, Rachel 1
HBP: Lewis, Rachel 1 ; Nelson, Morgan 2
Batting:
HR: Anyssa Iliopoulos 1
RBI: Anyssa Iliopoulos 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Anyssa Iliopoulos 1
