Northwestern (10-10) and IUPUI (14-5) return to action immediately in the second half of their Saturday doubleheader.
IUPUI came out of the gate swinging, turning a one-out walk in the top of the first into a 2-0 lead on a home run against Northwestern starter Amy Letourneau (Laguna Niguel, Calif./Santa Margarita Catholic).
After the Wildcats got a pair base runners of their own in the bottom half via a Sabrina Rabin (St. Charles, Ill./St. Charles North) single and an Andrea Filler (Fort Wayne, Ind./Bishop Dwenger) walk without scoring, IUPUI threatened to extend its lead by loading the bases in the top of the second. There, with the home run-hitter from the first inning at the plate and the bases juiced, Letourneau got a pop-up to Anna Edwards (La Canada, Calif./La Canada) at third to keep the deficit at two runs.
The Jaguars did tack on a run via a two-out Wildcats error in the third inning, then NU got to work offensively. Rabin led off the bottom half with her second hit of the game and moved to third when a Filler fly fell in for a hit. Filler then took off for second and the throw down bounded into center for an error, allowing Rabin to come home to make it a 3-1 game.
NU's fourth error of the game contributed to IUPUI's fourth run in the top of the fourth. A two-out double moved to third when the ball was booted in the outfield, then an infield single allowed that runner to come home for a 4-1 Jaguars' lead.
The Wildcats' rallied again in their half of the fourth, coming all the way back to tie the game. The scoring began with back-to-back doubles from Edwards and Sammy Nettling (Tucson, Ariz./Corona del Sol) to bring one run home. Later, with two outs, Rabin beat out her third single of the contest to move pinch runner Abbey Boyd (Wilmette, Ill./New Trier) to third base. After Andrea DiPrima (Arlington Heights, Ill./Buffalo Grove) walked to load the bases, Filler forced home a run with a walk of her own and Letourneau tied the game with a single deep into the hole at short.
With a new ballgame afoot, Kristen Wood (Trevor, Wis./Wilmot Union) entered the circle in relief and struck out the side. NU then put runners at the corners with two outs in the bottom of the fifth before IUPUI made a nice play on the infield to retire Rabin for the first time in the game and retire the NU rally in the frame.
Northwestern's fifth error brought in IUPUI's fifth run, this time with two outs in the top of the sixth to give the visitors back the lead, 5-4.
Despite the mistakes, NU refused to give in to the bad, instead embracing the good. DiPrima started the sixth-inning rally with an infield single and gave way to pinch runner Fran Strub (Coralville, Iowa/Clear Creek Amana). Filler then softly singled into left center to move Strub to second. The runners remained in place later with two outs when Kuhn pummeled a pitch to the fence in left to give NU the 6-5 lead.
Wood finished off the win in the circle with a little help from Nettling, who picked a leadoff walk off first base during the seventh.
Wood (4-3) picked up the win in relief, allowing just one unearned run on no hits and three walks with seven strikeouts in 3.0 innings of work. She has not allowed a base hit in her last eight innings pitched. Letourneau went 4.0 innings in the start, allowing four runs (two earned) on four hits and four walks with three Ks.
Rabin led NU at the plate with three hits and two runs scored. Filler and Nettling each had two hits while Kuhn drove in two.
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