Friday, March 25
Ann Arbor, MI
3 p.m. CT/4 p.m. ET
Northwestern
10-16, 1-0
13
at
12
Michigan
22-3, 0-1
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
R
H
E
Northwestern
0
0
0
2
7
4
0
13
6
1
Michigan
3
1
2
1
0
0
5
12
13
2
Northwestern Holds On For Wild Win at No. 2 Michigan, 13-12
3/25/2016 6:44:00 PM | Softball
ANN ARBOR, Mich. – The Big Ten season is here, and it's spectacular.
After falling behind No. 2 Michigan, 6-0, Friday in the conference-opening game at Alumni Field, Northwestern stormed back to take a 13-7 lead before withstanding a wild Wolverines comeback and holding on for a 13-12 victory.
Northwestern moves to 10-16 overall on the season, 1-0 in the Big Ten with the victory. Michigan is 22-3 after its loss, 0-1 in the league. The Wildcats and Wolverines meet for game two of this Big Ten-opening series at 1 p.m. CT/2 p.m. ET tomorrow, Saturday, March 26.
Michigan dominated the first three innings of the game, retiring Northwestern in order in each frame while building a 6-0 edge. Momentum shifted faster than a pick-six with NU plating two in the fourth, seven in the fifth and four in the sixth to storm in front. By the time the game finally ended, Michigan had moved the tying run to third base.
Freshman Kenzie Ellis, who entered the game in the circle in relief in the bottom of the first with two outs, gutted through the longest outing of her young career to earn the win. She tossed 142 pitches over 5.2 frames and scored HUGE shutdown innings in the fifth and sixth after NU jumped in front. while junior Nicole Bond tossed the final two-thirds of an inning in the seventh with the tying run at second base.
In the bottom of the first, Northwestern starter Amy Letourneau had trouble finding the strike zone, leading to a trio of Michigan runs without the benefit of a hit. With the bases loaded, three runs in and two outs in the frame, freshman Ellis took over in relief and got a grounder to Morgan Nelson at third to end the rally.
The first two Wolverines reached in the bottom of the second before Ellis got a double-play grounder to Brooke Marquez that recorded a pair of outs, but also allowed the fourth run of the contest to come home for Michigan. In the bottom of the third, a two-out, two-run single pushed the home team's edge to 6-0.
In the top of the fourth, Sabrina Rabin led off with a single for the #B1GCats first hit of the game before being erased on an Andrea Filler fielder's choice grounder. Letourneau then came to the plate and unloaded all of her frustration from the first inning on a single pitch, drilling a BOMB of a home run into the very tops of the evergreen trees beyond left center to cut the NU deficit to 6-2.
The shot was Letourneau's team-best seventh of the year and the 36th of her career.
Michigan got one of those runs back in the bottom of the fourth with a home run that barely got out of the park, then Northwestern continued to fight in the top of the fifth, delivering a seven-run punch. Nelson and Alcy Bush each led off with walks before Michigan starter Sara Driesenga retired the next two Wildcats to the plate. Then, with two outs, Rabin laced a single back through the middle to bring Nelson around to score.
The Wolverines elected to replace Driesenga with Megan Betsa at that point, and Betsa immediately nailed pinch hitter Brianna LeBeau with a pitch before uncorking a wild pitch that allowed Bush to slide home. Another wild pitch brought Rabin in and cut the Northwestern deficit all the way down to two, 7-5, before walks to Filler and Letourneau loaded the bases. Ellis drew a walk of her own to force another run home, and Michigan re-entered Driesenga into the circle.
On the very next pitch, Nelson, who started the entire rally with a walk, laced a bases-clearing triple down the right-field line to put Northwestern on top in the game, 9-7.
In the bottom of the fifth, Ellis worked around a two-out double to hold Michigan scoreless for the first time in the contest, sending the game into the sixth with the Wildcats in the lead.
In that sixth, Marquez crushed a one-out double before Rabin joined her on base with her third single of the contest. Later, with two outs, Filler smoked a ball right at short, but it went speeding through the legs of the fielder and all the way to the outfield fence for a two-run error, extending the Northwestern lead out to four, 11-7.
Michigan once again went to the bullpen to tap Tera Blanco, but the Northwestern patience at the plate did not wane. Blanco hit Letourneau with a pitch, then walked Ellis, Nelson and Bush in succession to force two more Wildcats across the plate and make it a 13-7 game.
With the score the same in the bottom of the seventh, Michigan notched a pair of two-run home runs to get back within two, 13-11, with one out (which came on a spectacular burpee-style lunging catch from Fran Strub in right field). The Wolverines continued to surge to get the tying run to second base, and Bond entered the game in the biggest moment of her career. After a walk, she induced a pair of groundouts, the first of which scored a run and the second of which ended the contest.
Ellis' official numbers were nine runs allowed on 13 hits and five walks with three strikeouts over 5.2 frames. She's now 3-2 on the year. Bond's first save was over two-thirds of an inning with one walk allowed. Letourneau threw two-thirds of an inning in the start, giving up three runs on six walks and no hits.
At the plate, Rabin was 3-for-5 with two runs and an RBI. Nelson knocked in four runs during a 1-for-2 day. Letourneau was 1-for-2 with the two-run home run and two runs scored.
After falling behind No. 2 Michigan, 6-0, Friday in the conference-opening game at Alumni Field, Northwestern stormed back to take a 13-7 lead before withstanding a wild Wolverines comeback and holding on for a 13-12 victory.
Northwestern moves to 10-16 overall on the season, 1-0 in the Big Ten with the victory. Michigan is 22-3 after its loss, 0-1 in the league. The Wildcats and Wolverines meet for game two of this Big Ten-opening series at 1 p.m. CT/2 p.m. ET tomorrow, Saturday, March 26.
Michigan dominated the first three innings of the game, retiring Northwestern in order in each frame while building a 6-0 edge. Momentum shifted faster than a pick-six with NU plating two in the fourth, seven in the fifth and four in the sixth to storm in front. By the time the game finally ended, Michigan had moved the tying run to third base.
Freshman Kenzie Ellis, who entered the game in the circle in relief in the bottom of the first with two outs, gutted through the longest outing of her young career to earn the win. She tossed 142 pitches over 5.2 frames and scored HUGE shutdown innings in the fifth and sixth after NU jumped in front. while junior Nicole Bond tossed the final two-thirds of an inning in the seventh with the tying run at second base.
In the bottom of the first, Northwestern starter Amy Letourneau had trouble finding the strike zone, leading to a trio of Michigan runs without the benefit of a hit. With the bases loaded, three runs in and two outs in the frame, freshman Ellis took over in relief and got a grounder to Morgan Nelson at third to end the rally.
The first two Wolverines reached in the bottom of the second before Ellis got a double-play grounder to Brooke Marquez that recorded a pair of outs, but also allowed the fourth run of the contest to come home for Michigan. In the bottom of the third, a two-out, two-run single pushed the home team's edge to 6-0.
In the top of the fourth, Sabrina Rabin led off with a single for the #B1GCats first hit of the game before being erased on an Andrea Filler fielder's choice grounder. Letourneau then came to the plate and unloaded all of her frustration from the first inning on a single pitch, drilling a BOMB of a home run into the very tops of the evergreen trees beyond left center to cut the NU deficit to 6-2.
The shot was Letourneau's team-best seventh of the year and the 36th of her career.
Michigan got one of those runs back in the bottom of the fourth with a home run that barely got out of the park, then Northwestern continued to fight in the top of the fifth, delivering a seven-run punch. Nelson and Alcy Bush each led off with walks before Michigan starter Sara Driesenga retired the next two Wildcats to the plate. Then, with two outs, Rabin laced a single back through the middle to bring Nelson around to score.
The Wolverines elected to replace Driesenga with Megan Betsa at that point, and Betsa immediately nailed pinch hitter Brianna LeBeau with a pitch before uncorking a wild pitch that allowed Bush to slide home. Another wild pitch brought Rabin in and cut the Northwestern deficit all the way down to two, 7-5, before walks to Filler and Letourneau loaded the bases. Ellis drew a walk of her own to force another run home, and Michigan re-entered Driesenga into the circle.
On the very next pitch, Nelson, who started the entire rally with a walk, laced a bases-clearing triple down the right-field line to put Northwestern on top in the game, 9-7.
In the bottom of the fifth, Ellis worked around a two-out double to hold Michigan scoreless for the first time in the contest, sending the game into the sixth with the Wildcats in the lead.
In that sixth, Marquez crushed a one-out double before Rabin joined her on base with her third single of the contest. Later, with two outs, Filler smoked a ball right at short, but it went speeding through the legs of the fielder and all the way to the outfield fence for a two-run error, extending the Northwestern lead out to four, 11-7.
Michigan once again went to the bullpen to tap Tera Blanco, but the Northwestern patience at the plate did not wane. Blanco hit Letourneau with a pitch, then walked Ellis, Nelson and Bush in succession to force two more Wildcats across the plate and make it a 13-7 game.
With the score the same in the bottom of the seventh, Michigan notched a pair of two-run home runs to get back within two, 13-11, with one out (which came on a spectacular burpee-style lunging catch from Fran Strub in right field). The Wolverines continued to surge to get the tying run to second base, and Bond entered the game in the biggest moment of her career. After a walk, she induced a pair of groundouts, the first of which scored a run and the second of which ended the contest.
Ellis' official numbers were nine runs allowed on 13 hits and five walks with three strikeouts over 5.2 frames. She's now 3-2 on the year. Bond's first save was over two-thirds of an inning with one walk allowed. Letourneau threw two-thirds of an inning in the start, giving up three runs on six walks and no hits.
At the plate, Rabin was 3-for-5 with two runs and an RBI. Nelson knocked in four runs during a 1-for-2 day. Letourneau was 1-for-2 with the two-run home run and two runs scored.
••••••
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Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Ellis, Kenzie (3-2)
L: Betsa, Megan (9-2)
S: Bond, Nicole (1)
Batting:
2B: Marquez, Brooke 1
3B: Nelson, Morgan 1
HR: Letourneau, Amy 1
RBI: Rabin, Sabrina 1 ; Letourneau, Amy 2 ; Ellis, Kenzie 1 ; Nelson, Morgan 4 ; Bush, Alcy 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Rabin, Sabrina 2 ; Williams, Krista 1 ; Filler, Andrea 3 ; Letourneau, Amy 2 ; Ellis, Kenzie 1 ; Nelson, Morgan 1 ; Bush, Alcy 1 ; Marquez, Brooke 1 ; Strub, Fran 1
SB: Nelson, Morgan 1
HBP: LeBeau, Brianna 1 ; Letourneau, Amy 1
Batting:
2B: Romero, Sierra 1 ; Susalla, Kelsey 1 ; Falk, Aidan 1 ; Sobczak, Alex 1
HR: Romero, Sierra 1 ; Susalla, Kelsey 1 ; Blanco, Tera 1
RBI: Lawrence, Sierra 2 ; Romero, Sierra 2 ; Susalla, Kelsey 2 ; Blanco, Tera 1 ; Montemarano, Lindsey 1 ; Sobczak, Alex 1 ; Richardson, Courtney 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Lawrence, Sierra 1 ; Romero, Sierra 2 ; Christner, Kelly 2 ; Susalla, Kelsey 1 ; Blanco, Tera 3 ; Montemarano, Lindsey 1 ; Wald, Nikki 1 ; Canfield, Faith 1
SB: Romero, Sierra 1 ; Christner, Kelly 1
CS: Sbonek, Mary 1
Game Leaders
Hitting
AB
5
R
2
H
3
RBI
1
p/dp
AB
2
R
2
H
1
RBI
2
AB
2
R
1
H
1
RBI
4
AB
3
R
1
H
1
RBI
0
Players Mentioned
P
/ Softball
P
/ Softball
IF
/ Softball
IF/OF
/ SoftballP/1B
/ SoftballIF
/ SoftballIF/C
/ SoftballOF
/ Softball
OF
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