BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Northwestern's run at the Big Ten Tournament came to an end Saturday afternoon with a 4-0 setback to the No. 3 seed Minnesota in the semifinals.
The Wildcats held Minnesota to just one run over the final five innings, but could not get their bats going against the Big Ten Pitcher of the Year Amber Fiser.
Morgan Newport entered in relief with two outs in the top of the second and was phenomenal in the circle as she retired the first nine batters she faced and finished with just two hits and no earned runs allowed in 4.0 innings of work.
Newport lowered her season ERA to 1.07 (5 ER/32.2 IP). Danielle Williams entered with two outs in the top of the sixth inning and retired all four batters she faced, striking out three to improve her season total to 278.
Both Jordyn Rudd and Nikki Cuchran notched hits for the Wildcats as each finished the weekend with a team-leading three hits. Skyler Shellmyer also recorded a hit after battling a nine-pitch at-bat to lead off the bottom of the third.
Morgan Nelson beat out an infield single in the bottom of the sixth inning to extend her reached base streak to 27-consecutive games, the longest streak of the season for the Wildcats.
Both Williams and Rudd were selected to the 2019 Big Ten Softball All-Tournament Team, as voted on by the conference media members.
Northwestern will find out its postseason fate tomorrow night as the NCAA Tournament Selection Show airs Sunday, May 12 at 8 p.m. CT on ESPN2. The Wildcats are seeking their fifth tournament berth in the last six years.
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The Wildcats held Minnesota to just one run over the final five innings, but could not get their bats going against the Big Ten Pitcher of the Year Amber Fiser.
Morgan Newport entered in relief with two outs in the top of the second and was phenomenal in the circle as she retired the first nine batters she faced and finished with just two hits and no earned runs allowed in 4.0 innings of work.
Newport lowered her season ERA to 1.07 (5 ER/32.2 IP). Danielle Williams entered with two outs in the top of the sixth inning and retired all four batters she faced, striking out three to improve her season total to 278.
Both Jordyn Rudd and Nikki Cuchran notched hits for the Wildcats as each finished the weekend with a team-leading three hits. Skyler Shellmyer also recorded a hit after battling a nine-pitch at-bat to lead off the bottom of the third.
Morgan Nelson beat out an infield single in the bottom of the sixth inning to extend her reached base streak to 27-consecutive games, the longest streak of the season for the Wildcats.
Both Williams and Rudd were selected to the 2019 Big Ten Softball All-Tournament Team, as voted on by the conference media members.
Northwestern will find out its postseason fate tomorrow night as the NCAA Tournament Selection Show airs Sunday, May 12 at 8 p.m. CT on ESPN2. The Wildcats are seeking their fifth tournament berth in the last six years.
••••••
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.