Northwestern University Athletics
Northwestern
Florida Atlantic
Softball Edged by Florida Atlantic, 9-8
2/1/2002 12:00:00 AM | Softball
Feb. 1, 2002
Tampa, Fla. - Northwestern's softball team dropped their first game of the season to Florida Atlantic, 9-8, in the opening game of the Louisville Slugger tournament.
The Wildcats got on the board first, scoring three runs on three hits in the bottom of the first. Gretchen Barnes (Flossmoor, Ill./Homewood-Flossmoor) opened her senior campaign with a two RBI double to right field. She then came around to score NU's third run of the inning.
FAU answered back in the top of the second, tallying six runs of its own on eight hits. The Owls added two more in the third and another in the fifth to take a 9-3 lead.
The 'Cats made a valiant comeback in the bottom of the sixth, but fell one run short of giving rookie coach Kate Drohan her first victory. Freshman Erin Mobley (Santa Ana, Calif./Foothill) doubled to center to begin the inning. Cindy Murran (Newbury Park, Calif./Newbury Park) followed up with a single, scoring Mobley. J.C. Kira (Honolulu, Hawaii/Saint Francis) gave NU another run, closing the gap to 9-6. Carri Leto (El Cajon, Calif./Valhalla) then hit a two-RBI triple with two outs to bring the 'Cats with in one, but Barnes struck out next, leaving Leto stranded on third and the Owls up, 9-8.
Mobley led off the seventh with her second hit of the day and then advanced to second on a sacrifice by Murran. She would not get any further, though, as the next two 'Cats were retired in order.
Brie Brown (Nashville, Tenn./Harpeth Hall) was in the circle for NU, surrendering nine runs on 12 hits in four and two-thirds innings of work. Lauren Schwendimann (Tustin, Calif./Foothill) relieved Brown in the fifth, holding the Owls scoreless through two and two-third innings.
The Wildcats are not done for the day. They face host South Florida at 2:30 p.m. CST. Tomorrow's action begins at 11 a.m. CST, as NU battles Tennessee. The rest of the tournament games depends upon the round-robin results.
