Northwestern University Athletics
Northwestern
Loyola
Softball Back On Track With Sweep of Loyola
4/18/2001 12:00:00 AM | Softball
April 18, 2001
CHICAGO, Ill. -
The Northwestern softball team defeated Loyola-Chicago, 10-2 and 7-4, Wednesday at Loyola. The `Cats ended a four-game losing streak, and head into weekend conference action with momentum.
Northwestern took charge from the beginning of Game 1, when junior Gretchen Barnes (Flossmoor, Ill./Homewood-Flossmoor) doubled and Erin Jancic (Houston, Texas/Alief Elsik) singled. Jancic was then caught stealing as Barnes ran home for the score. The `Cats scored two more runs in the third when Jancic singled home freshman J.C. Kira (Honolulu, Hawaii/Saint Francis), and freshman Carri Leto (El Cajon, Calif./Valhalla) singled home Jancic.
The Ramblers matched NU's third-inning runs with two of their own in the bottom half, but the `Cats continued to roll with two more runs in the fourth. With the bases loaded, Barnes walked to score junior Rane Gunderson (Minnetonka, Minn./Minnetonka), and Jancic singled to bring in Kira.
One run was scored in the sixth inning when sophomore Brett Nakabayashi (Irvine, Calif./Irvine) came home on an error by the pitcher. In the final inning, NU scored four runs. Kira hit a sacrifice fly to bring home sophomore Robyn Pettinger (Hoffman Estates, Ill./Fremd), which was later followed by a run by Gunderson. Finally, Leto doubled to bring in the final two runs for the `Cats.
Sophomore Brie Brown (Nashville, Tenn./Harputh Hall) picked up her 11th win of the season, pitching four innings and striking out three. Sophomore Lauren Schwendimann (Tustin, Calif./Foothill) saw an inning of action in the circle with one strikeout, and Barnes pitched two innings with one strikeout. Jancic was 4-for-5 with one run and two RBI, while Barnes went 3-for-4 with three runs, one double and one RBI and Leto went 3-for-5 with three RBI, one triple, one double and one stolen base.
The second game opened with two runs by NU when Barnes scored on an error by the second baseman. Schwendimann then stepped to the plate and brought home Leto on a single. Loyola bounced back in the second inning with a single run, then scored three more in the third inning to take the 4-2 lead. But a four-run fourth inning by Northwestern gave the Wildcats the lead for good.
Nakabayashi scored the first run of the fourth inning on an error by the Rambler pitcher, which also scored Pettinger. Leto then hit her second triple of the day to score Jancic and Barnes. The `Cats would go on to score one more run in the sixth inning when Jancic hit a sacrifice fly that scored Nakabayashi.
Schwendimann pitched a complete game, allowing four hits and striking out nine. Nakabayashi went 1-for-1 with two runs and Pettinger went 2-for-4 with one run.
The `Cats garnered 13 hits in the first game and seven in the second en route to the victories. Their record improved to 15-17 overall, and they bring a 4-6 Big Ten record into Friday's doubleheader against Indiana at Anderson Field. First pitch is scheduled for 2 p.m.
