Saturday, May 19

Athens, Ga.

11 a.m. CT/Noon ET

Northwestern

37-18

Georgia

45-11

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	Runs R	Hits H	Errors E
Georgia	2	0	3	0	2	5	12	11	0
Northwestern	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	6	0

No. 7 Georgia Takes Winner's Bracket Game Over Northwestern

5/19/2018 1:06:00 PM | Softball

Box Score

ATHENS, Ga. – Northwestern loaded the bases in each of the final three innings Saturday in a winner's bracket matchup with No. 7 overall seed Georgia, but the Bulldogs extended an early lead and kept NU at bay to win the game over the Wildcats, 12-0 (6).

Northwestern is 37-18 overall on the season. Georgia is 45-11. NU now falls into the final game of the loser's bracket, and will play again this afternoon at 4 p.m. CT/5 p.m. ET against either Harvard or Cal.

Georgia's speedy leadoff batter started the game with a single on the very first pitch, but Sammy Nettling immediately threw her out trying to swipe her 50^th base of the season. It appeared that starter Morgan Newport then ended the inning, but the third Bulldogs batter ended up walking ahead of a two-run home run that put the hosts on top, 2-0.

In the second, Newport retired the first two batters she faced before another two out walk. Kenna Wilkey entered in relief and ended the inning.

Nettling led off the bottom of the second with a walk and moved to second on a Marissa Panko sacrifice. With two outs, Brooke Marquez singled into right field and the Wildcats played it aggressively around third, but the Bulldogs got the throw in quickly and were able to catch Nettling to end the inning.

In the top of the third, Georgia loaded the bases with one out, then un-loaded them with a double into right-center to push the Bulldogs lead to five, 5-0. Wilkey bounced back fantastically in the top of the fourth, needing just five pitches to retire the 9-1-2 batters in order.

Georgia made a pitching change in the bottom of the fourth, replacing starter Mary Wilson Avant with Amanda Ablant. Rachel Lewis greeted her with a single to left on the very first pitch of the frame, then Nettling joined Lewis on base with a one-out hit by pitch. The Bulldogs immediately went to Kylie Bass in the circle, and Marissa Panko said how do you do with a bases-loading single into right. The Bulldogs, however, escaped the threat with a strikeout and a pop-up.

Georgia took advantage to add two more to its lead with a two-run home run in the top of the fifth. In the bottom half, Newport and Lily Novak singled to start the frame before Morgan Nelson was hit with a two-out pitch to load them up. Nettling then sent a screaming liner into center, but it was right at the fielder who gloved it to end the inning.

The Bulldogs put their first two batters to the plate aboard in the top of the sixth, and Northwestern inserted Nicole Bond into the circle. The next batter loaded the bags with a single before a sacrifice fly, a two-run hit and a two-run home run made it a 12-0 game.

In the bottom of the sixth, Panko led off with a single, Marquez was hit by a one-out pitch and Novak loaded the bases with a two-out walk, but that was all for the #B1GCats.

Newport (14-8) took the loss, allowing two runs on two hits and three walks with two strikeouts in 1.2 innings of work. Wilkey threw 3.1 innings of relief, allowing seven runs on six hits and two walks with a K. Bond threw the final inning and was charged with three runs on three hits and a walk.