Friday, March 1
Palo Alto, Calif.
2:15 p.m. CT/12:15 p.m. PT
Northwestern
12-3
6
vs
2
Cal Poly
3-12
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
R
H
E
Cal Poly
0
0
0
2
0
0
0
2
5
0
Northwestern
0
0
0
0
1
5
X
6
7
1
Sixth Inning Rally Helps #B1GCats Open Weekend With a Win
3/1/2019 5:49:00 PM | Softball
PALO ALTO, Calif. – Northwestern scored five runs in the bottom of the sixth inning to seize momentum and open its weekend at the Stanford Invitational with a 6-2 win over Cal Poly.
Seven different players recorded hits as the Wildcats improved to 12-3 on the season, tied for their best start since 2008 and for their best record through 15 games since Kate Drohan took over as head coach in 2002.
Kaley Winegarner took the circle to make her second start of the season and tossed 3.1 innings while allowing just two runs (one earned). She stranded runners on base in each of her first three innings.
Coming in for relief was Kenna Wilkey, who masterful in 3.2 innings of work as she retired all 11 batters she faced and finished with six strikeouts, including the final two outs of the game.
Maeve Nelson got the scoring started for the #B1GCats in the fifth inning as she crushed a solo-homer to left field for her team-high third homer of the season to cut the Wildcats' deficit to 2-1.
Jordyn Rudd opened the sixth inning with a single up the middle and, after advancing to second on a wild pitch, scored on the very next at-bat thanks to an RBI-single from Nikki Cuchran.
Emma Bartz came in to pinch run for Cuchran and scored the go-ahead run after Maeve Nelson, Lily Novak and Wilkey drew three-consecutive walks. With the bases still loaded, Danielle Williams came in as a pinch hitter and drove in two additional runs with a double to the left field fence. Rachel Lewis capped the inning off with a sacrifice fly to bring home Wilkey.
The Wildcats are back in action later today at approximately 6:45 p.m. against the host Stanford. Fans can watch on Pac12.com or follow along @NUSBCats on Twitter for live updates.
Be the first to know what's going on with the 'Cats -- Follow @NU_Sports on Twitter, become a fan of Northwestern Athletics on Facebook, check us out on Instagram, visit our Social Media page and download our mobile app from the Apple Store and Google Play! To get involved with the #B1GCats, become a season-ticket holder or join the Wildcat Fund.
Seven different players recorded hits as the Wildcats improved to 12-3 on the season, tied for their best start since 2008 and for their best record through 15 games since Kate Drohan took over as head coach in 2002.
Kaley Winegarner took the circle to make her second start of the season and tossed 3.1 innings while allowing just two runs (one earned). She stranded runners on base in each of her first three innings.
Coming in for relief was Kenna Wilkey, who masterful in 3.2 innings of work as she retired all 11 batters she faced and finished with six strikeouts, including the final two outs of the game.
Maeve Nelson got the scoring started for the #B1GCats in the fifth inning as she crushed a solo-homer to left field for her team-high third homer of the season to cut the Wildcats' deficit to 2-1.
Jordyn Rudd opened the sixth inning with a single up the middle and, after advancing to second on a wild pitch, scored on the very next at-bat thanks to an RBI-single from Nikki Cuchran.
Emma Bartz came in to pinch run for Cuchran and scored the go-ahead run after Maeve Nelson, Lily Novak and Wilkey drew three-consecutive walks. With the bases still loaded, Danielle Williams came in as a pinch hitter and drove in two additional runs with a double to the left field fence. Rachel Lewis capped the inning off with a sacrifice fly to bring home Wilkey.
The Wildcats are back in action later today at approximately 6:45 p.m. against the host Stanford. Fans can watch on Pac12.com or follow along @NUSBCats on Twitter for live updates.
••••••
Be the first to know what's going on with the 'Cats -- Follow @NU_Sports on Twitter, become a fan of Northwestern Athletics on Facebook, check us out on Instagram, visit our Social Media page and download our mobile app from the Apple Store and Google Play! To get involved with the #B1GCats, become a season-ticket holder or join the Wildcat Fund. 
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Wilkey, Kenna (3-1)
L: Best (1-9)
Batting:
2B: Yakir 2 ; James 1
RBI: James 2
SH: Ramos 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Kaiser 1 ; Amos, M 1
Batting:
2B: Williams, Danielle 1
HR: Nelson, Maeve 1
RBI: Lewis, Rachel 1 ; Cuchran, Nikki 1 ; Nelson, Maeve 1 ; Wilkey, Kenna 1 ; Williams, Danielle 2
SF: Lewis, Rachel 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Rudd, Jordyn 1 ; Bartz, Emma 1 ; Nelson, Maeve 2 ; Novak, Lily 1 ; Wilkey, Kenna 1
Game Leaders
Hitting
AB
3
R
1
H
1
RBI
0
AB
3
R
0
H
1
RBI
1
AB
2
R
2
H
1
RBI
1
AB
2
R
1
H
1
RBI
0
Players Mentioned
OF
/ SoftballIF
/ Softball
IF/OF
/ SoftballIF
/ SoftballIF
/ SoftballC/U
/ Softball
P
/ Softball
P/U
/ Softball
P
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