Northwestern University Athletics
Sunday, February 25
Cathedral City, Calif.
11 a.m. CT/9 a.m. PT
Northwestern
7-6
12
vs
3
St. John's
2-8
1
2
3
4
5
R
H
E
Northwestern
2
2
6
2
0
12
12
1
St. John's
0
0
0
0
3
3
5
4
Photo by: Scott Quintard
Northwestern Runs Away From St. John's In 12-3 (5) Run-Rule Win
2/25/2018 1:15:00 PM | Softball
CATHEDRAL CITY, Calif. – Northwestern matched its school single-record with eight stolen bases Sunday morning at the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic, running away from St. John's for a 12-3 (5) run-rule victory on getaway day in the desert.
Northwestern finishes its 2018 Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic schedule with a 2-2 record and now is 7-6 on the year. St. John's falls to 2-8 with its loss.
Northwestern is back in action March 2-4 at the Husky Invitational in Seattle, Wash.
NU's eight steals matched its previous best set May 11, 2012, against Illinois. The Wildcats entered this weekend ranked sixth in the country with a 3.0 steals per game average.
The Wildcats wasted no time getting its offense going in this game, gaining one base on each of the first five pitches thrown by the Red Storm starter Morris. Sabrina Rabin singled on the first pitch of the game, stole second on the second and moved to third on the third when Marissa Panko sacrificed her over. Rachel Lewis then was hit by the fourth pitch of the game and stole second on the fifth pitch to get a pair of runners into scoring position with one out in the frame.
Later, with two outs, Lily Novak delivered a two-run single back through the middle to plate both Rabin and Lewis, giving Northwestern the early 2-0 lead in the game.
The Wildcats got timely hitting again in the second to add to their tally. Brooke Marquez was hit by a pitch to lead off the frame, then moved around to third when St. John's threw the ball away on a Sammy Nettling sacrifice bunt. Nettling stole second for the third steal of her career (eliciting a roar from the #B1GCats crowd!) before, with two outs, Panko parked a double into right center that drove in both Wildcats and doubled NU's lead to 4-0.
After starting pitcher Morgan Newport stranded a pair of Red Storm runners in the bottom of the second, NU extended its lead again in the third with a massive six-spot. Morgan Nelson led off the frame with a booming double off the base of the fence in left, then stole third base. Novak drew a walk and gave way to pinch runner Emma Bartz, who helped start the scoring by taking off for second. When the catcher's throw headed out toward second, Nelson broke to the plate during a perfect double steal. And NU was just getting started.
Summer Hargett drew a walk to keep the inning going and both runners moved up before Nettling drove them both in with a single. Mac Dunlap then smoked a double to bring Nettling all the way home. Dunlap swiped third base, and Rabin drove her in with a single.
The coup de speed of the inning and the game came next. Rabin stole second for NU's school-record-tying eighth stolen base of the game. The throw got into centerfield, allowing Rabin to get to third. The ball then bounded past the centerfielder, and Rabin scored all on the same play, making it a 10-0 contest.
NU never let off the gas offensively, turning three straight one-out singles from Hargett, Marquez and Nettling in the fourth into two more runs on a two-out Rabin single.
Needing five runs in the bottom of the fifth to keep the game going, St. John's got a one-out three-run home run against Morgan Newport, the #B1GCats starter in the game. Newport settled down to retire the next two for the complete-game win.
Newport (3-1) threw 5.0 innings in her first start of the season, allowing three runs (two earned) on five hits and no walks with a strikeout.
Rabin led NU at the plate with a 3-for-4 day, driving in three runs, scoring twice and stealing two bases. Nettling had two hits, two runs and two RBIs, Novak had two hits and two RBIs, Panko drove in two, and Hargett and Marquez each scored twice.
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Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Newport, Morgan (3-1)
L: MORRIS, M (1-5)
Batting:
2B: Panko, Marissa 1 ; Nelson, Morgan 1 ; Dunlap, Mac 1
RBI: Rabin, Sabrina 3 ; Panko, Marissa 2 ; Novak, Lily 2 ; Nettling, Sammy 2 ; Dunlap, Mac 1
SH: Panko, Marissa 1 ; Nettling, Sammy 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Rabin, Sabrina 2 ; Lewis, Rachel 1 ; Nelson, Morgan 1 ; Bartz, Emma 1 ; Hargett, Summer 2 ; Marquez, Brooke 2 ; Nettling, Sammy 2 ; Dunlap, Mac 1
SB: Rabin, Sabrina 2 ; Lewis, Rachel 1 ; Nelson, Morgan 2 ; Bartz, Emma 1 ; Nettling, Sammy 1 ; Dunlap, Mac 1
HBP: Stees, Eva 1 ; Lewis, Rachel 1 ; Marquez, Brooke 1
Batting:
HR: PUGA 1
RBI: PUGA 3
Base Running:
RUNS: ZICK 1 ; PUGA 1 ; DITOLVO 1
HBP: MELENDEZ 1
Game Leaders
AB
4
R
2
H
3
RBI
3
AB
3
R
0
H
2
RBI
2
AB
2
R
2
H
2
RBI
2
AB
2
R
0
H
1
RBI
2
Players Mentioned
OF
/ Softball
IF
/ Softball
C
/ Softball
IF/OF
/ Softball
IF
/ Softball
IF/C
/ SoftballC
/ Softball
P/U
/ SoftballIF
/ SoftballIF/OF
/ SoftballOF
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