It’s hard to define a back-and-forth playoff contest that went well beyond regulation by a single play. But, sometimes, the comparisons make themselves.
In the fourth inning, with Arizona State holding a 1-0 lead over Northwestern, a ground ball shot toward first baseman Nikki Cuchran with a runner on second base and two outs. She bobbled the ball, bobbled it again, and then grabbed it to narrowly beat out Jazmyn Rollin to the bag.
Just like Cuchran on that inning-ending grounder, the Northwestern Wildcats constantly mustered up just enough momentum on Friday night to eke out a 4-3, 11-inning victory over the Sun Devils and take the first game of their Super Regional in Tempe — even if their mistakes and fatigue made that task seem impossible at times.