Northwestern University Athletics
Northwestern
Tennessee
Softball Gains Another Split in Tampa
2/7/2000 12:00:00 AM | Softball
Feb. 7, 2000
EVANSTON, Ill. - The Northwestern softball team went 1-1 for the second day in a row at the Louisville Slugger Invitational in Tampa, Fla, evening its season record at 2-2. The Wildcats wrapped up pool play with a 3-2 win over Georgia in the morning session. Northwestern then fell to Tennessee, 7-6, in its bracket opener on Saturday night.
After giving up a run in the top of the first against Georgia, Northwestern responded with three runs in the home half of the inning. Mikie Chambers (Country Club Hills, Ill./Hillcrest) reached on an error with one out to start the rally. Consecutive singles by Tami Jones (West Hills, Calif./El Camino Real), Erin Jancic (Houston, Texas/Alief Elsik) and Jenn Shull (San Jose, Calif./Presentation) gave the 'Cats a 3-1 lead after one.
Freshmen pitchers Brie Brown (Nashville, Tenn./Harputh Hall) and Lauren Schwendimann (Tustin, Calif./Foothill) took over from there. Brown pitched the first five innings, allowing only two runs on five hits to improve her record to 2-0. Schwendimann came on and retired the last six hitters in order, four on strikeouts, to record her first save.
In the afternoon contest, Tennessee stormed out of the gate, building a 7-0 lead, then held on to defeat the 'Cats, 7-6, in the first round of the championship bracket.
Northwestern got a single run in the fourth before a three-run uprising in the fifth. Consecutive singles by Brett Nakabayashi (Irvine, Calif./Irvine), Chambers and Jones and a pair of Tennessee errors got the inning plated the first two runs. Jancic drove in the third with an infield single to cut the deficit to 7-4 after five.
The Wildcats got two more runs in the sixth on RBI-singles by Nakabayaski and Gretchen Barnes (Flossmoor, Ill./Homewood-Flossmoor). However, the rally fell short and the Vols escaped with the win.
