Northwestern University Athletics
Northwestern
Minnesota
Softball Sweeps Minnesota, 5-0 and 2-1
4/6/2001 12:00:00 AM | Softball
April 6, 2001
EVANSTON, Ill. -
The Northwestern softball team swept Minnesota in conference action on Friday afternoon at Anderson Field. The `Cats won the first game, 5-0, and won the second, 2-1.
In the first game, the Wildcats and Golden Gophers remained scoreless through four innings. The `Cats, in fact, were falling victim to a no-hitter until junior Gretchen Barnes (Homewood, Ill./Homewood-Flossmoor) hit a pitch over the leftfield fence for a home run.
The `Cats added four insurance runs in the sixth inning. Sophomore Alyson Schulz (San Diego, Calif./Serra) homered for the third game in a row to bring in freshman Carri Leto (El Cajon, Calif./Valhalla) and sophomore Brett Nakabayashi (Irvine, Calif./Irvine). Barnes followed Schulz with her second dinger of the game.
Sophomore pitcher Brie Brown (Nashville, Tenn./Harputh Hall) pitched a complete game, allowing five hits and striking out five. The game marked her fifth shutout of the season.
In Game 2, sophomore Robyn Pettinger (Hoffman Estates, Ill./Fremd) knocked her first career home run to put the `Cats up, 1-0, in the top of the fifth inning. Minnesota answered in the bottom of the fifth, bringing in one run on a Wildcat error. It was the first run allowed by Northwestern in 24 innings.
After both teams went scoreless in the sixth, sophomore Rane Gunderson (Minnetonka, Minn./Minnetonka) led off the seventh inning for NU with a single to right field. After advancing to second on a sacrifice by Pettinger, Gunderson was caught in a rundown between second and third. But an error by the Golden Gopher second baseman allowed Gunderson to escape the out and safely reach third. Freshman J.C. Kira (Honolulu, Hawaii/Saint Francis) then hit a sacrifice to left field, scoring Gunderson for the game-winner.
Sophomore Lauren Schwendimann (Tustin, Calif./Foothill) pitched a complete game, allowing one run on four hits while striking out seven.
Northwestern improved its record to 13-13 overall, 4-2 in conference action. The `Cats host Wisconsin in single games on Saturday at 2 p.m. and Sunday at 1 p.m.
