EVANSTON, Ill. -- On a gusty day Friday at Sharon J. Drysdale Field that saw wind-blown doubles landing on the infield, Purdue erased a three-run deficit with a home run in the top of the seventh before Northwestern freshman Sammy Nettling (Tucson, Ariz./Canyon del Oro) smashed an eighth-inning walk-off home run into the teeth of the wind for a 4-3 (8) NU victory.
Northwestern (18-11, 6-0 B1G) and Purdue (24-12, 4-3 B1G) continue their series at 1 p.m. CT tomorrow, Saturday, April 4.
Wildcats' starter Kristen Wood (Trevor, Wis./Wilmot Union) went 1-2-3 against Purdue in the top of the first, beginning the game with a pair of strikeouts. NU freshman Sabrina Rabin (St. Charles, Ill./St. Charles North) then led off the bottom of the frame with an infield single and immediately stole second base. One out later, Andrea Filler (Fort Wayne, Ind./Bishop Dwenger) split the right-side of the infield for a single, bringing Rabin around to score for an early 1-0 NU advantage.
Wood struck out the Purdue side in the second, then fanned two more in the third after the Boilermakers got their first two base runners of the game on a walk and a bunt single.
The Wildcats got back on the board in the bottom of the third with a two-out rally. Facing a two-strike count, Andrea DiPrima (Arlington Heights, Ill./Buffalo Grove) patiently worked back to draw a full-count walk. Filler then made it count in a big way, crushing her team-leading eighth home run of the year to extend the lead to 3-0. Filler now has 22 home runs in college softball and 14 in her two seasons at NU after beginning her career at Boston College.
Purdue put together a serious rally in the top of the fourth on a few wind-blown balls, one that landed short of the charging outfield and the next that blew over everyone's head to the fence for a double, putting runners at second and third with one out. Wood got a strikeout before a hit by pitch loaded the bases. Wood then notched her ninth strikeout of the game in assertive fashion to keep Purdue off the board.
Northwestern got back-to-back leadoff singles from Rabin and DiPrima in the fifth before Purdue's equally strikeout endowed ace Lilly Fecho fanned the side. Wood returned the favor in the top of the sixth, surrendering a leadoff hit by pitch before striking out everyone else to reach 12 Ks in the game.
Hits from Brianna LeBeau (Worth, Ill./H.L. Richards) and Olivia Duehr (Antioch, Ill./Antioch) put #B1GCats at first and third with two outs in the top of the sixth, but Fecho gloved a soft comebacking liner to put down that threat.
Purdue finally got to Wood in the top of the seventh, tying the game with one swing of the bat.
In the bottom of the seventh, Filler worked a one-out walk and then raced around to third when Amy Letourneau (Laguna Niguel, Calif./Santa Margarita Catholic) lambasted a double to the fence in left. Fecho got two more strikeouts to keep the game going to extras.
In the top of the eighth, Letourneau entered the circle in relief of Wood. Purdue got a pair of base runners and had the go-ahead run at third with two outs following a Northwestern throwing error, but Letourneau fanned the next Boilermaker to keep the contest tied.
The K allowed the 'Cats to walk off with the next batter. Nettling fouled off several Fecho offerings before tattooing a 1-2 pitch directly into the wind and into the right-field bleachers to end the game. It was the third home run of her career.
Nettling's heroics gave Northwestern multiple home runs in each of its last eight games; the Wildcats have 28 total in that stretch including 22 in six Big Ten contests.
Rabin's infield single to lead off the game ran her current hitting streak to 12 games. DiPrima's single in the fifth ran her hitting streak to 13 games. Rabin and Filler each had two hits in the contest for NU; Filler drove in three.
Wood fanned a career-best 13 in a 7.0-inning no decision, allowing three runs on six hits and three walks. Letourneau (10-8) got the win in relief, allowing just a walk while striking out two.
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