Friday, March 1
Palo Alto, Calif.
6:45 p.m. CT/4:45 p.m. PT
Northwestern
12-4
0
at
1
Stanford
12-2
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
R
H
E
Northwestern
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
5
1
Stanford
1
0
0
0
0
0
X
1
4
0
Wildcats Downed 1-0 by Stanford in Pitcher's Duel
3/1/2019 9:34:00 PM | Softball
PALO ALTO, Calif. – Northwestern locked horns with Stanford in a defensive battle on Friday night, but came up short 1-0.
Danielle Williams took the mound and threw 6.0 stellar innings, racking up nine strikeouts while allowing no earned runs. The Cardinal's only run of the game came in the first inning.
Northwestern outhit the hosts 5-4, led by two hits from junior Morgan Newport. Maeve Nelson, Lily Novak and Skyler Shellmyer each collected a hit as well. Nelson also had a walk.
With her two hits, Newport increased her number of multiple-hit games this season to five, which leads the team. Her .354 batting average also ranks first in the NU offense.
The Wildcats' best opportunity to tie the game came in the fifth inning. Maeve Nelson led off with a single and Lily Novak followed that with another base hit. After Eva Stees came on to pinch run for Novak, Shellmyer loaded the bases with a bunt with one out.
Sophomore Rachel Lewis stepped up the plate and drove a ball hard down the third base line. The 'Cats could not catch a break and the ball went straight to the Cardinal third baseman, who stepped on third and fired to first to extinguish the danger.
After six innings without an earned run, Northwestern lowered its pitching average as a staff to 1.42. The Wildcats have struck out 117 batters in 108.2 innings.
Northwestern moved to 1-1 on the day and 12-4 on the season. It still remains the best start to a season since 2008, when Kate Drohan's squad advanced the NCAA Super Regional.
The #B1GCats will look to bounce back tomorrow with games against Cal Poly and North Dakota State. They knocked off the Mustangs earlier on Friday in a 6-2 come-from-behind win, and will face a tough Bison team that boasts a 9-6 record and has won four straight.
Fans can follow along @NUSBCats on Twitter for live updates and watch the games for free on Stanford's website.
Danielle Williams took the mound and threw 6.0 stellar innings, racking up nine strikeouts while allowing no earned runs. The Cardinal's only run of the game came in the first inning.
Northwestern outhit the hosts 5-4, led by two hits from junior Morgan Newport. Maeve Nelson, Lily Novak and Skyler Shellmyer each collected a hit as well. Nelson also had a walk.
With her two hits, Newport increased her number of multiple-hit games this season to five, which leads the team. Her .354 batting average also ranks first in the NU offense.
The Wildcats' best opportunity to tie the game came in the fifth inning. Maeve Nelson led off with a single and Lily Novak followed that with another base hit. After Eva Stees came on to pinch run for Novak, Shellmyer loaded the bases with a bunt with one out.
Sophomore Rachel Lewis stepped up the plate and drove a ball hard down the third base line. The 'Cats could not catch a break and the ball went straight to the Cardinal third baseman, who stepped on third and fired to first to extinguish the danger.
After six innings without an earned run, Northwestern lowered its pitching average as a staff to 1.42. The Wildcats have struck out 117 batters in 108.2 innings.
Northwestern moved to 1-1 on the day and 12-4 on the season. It still remains the best start to a season since 2008, when Kate Drohan's squad advanced the NCAA Super Regional.
The #B1GCats will look to bounce back tomorrow with games against Cal Poly and North Dakota State. They knocked off the Mustangs earlier on Friday in a 6-2 come-from-behind win, and will face a tough Bison team that boasts a 9-6 record and has won four straight.
Fans can follow along @NUSBCats on Twitter for live updates and watch the games for free on Stanford's website.
••••••
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Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Lee, C. (3-1)
L: Williams, Danielle (9-2)
S: Pancino, K. (4)
Batting:
RBI: Dixon, M. 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Cowles, T. 1
CS: Howell, H. 1
Game Leaders
Hitting
AB
3
R
0
H
2
RBI
0
AB
2
R
0
H
1
RBI
0
AB
3
R
0
H
1
RBI
0
AB
2
R
0
H
1
RBI
0
Players Mentioned
IF/OF
/ SoftballIF
/ SoftballP/U
/ SoftballIF
/ SoftballOF
/ Softball
P/U
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