Northwestern University Athletics
Northwestern
Illinois St
Brown Mows Down Illinois State, 2-0
3/25/2003 12:00:00 AM | Softball
March 25, 2003
NORMAL, Ill. - Brie Brown (Nashville, Tenn./Harpeth Hall) pitched six shutout innings as the Northwestern softball team made a pair of second inning runs stand up in a 2-0 win at Illinois State Tuesday afternoon. Brown allowed just three hits as the Wildcats, ranked 22nd in the most recent ESPN.com/USA Softball Poll improved to 15-6 on the season.
The Wildcats got all the offense that they would need in the top of the second inning, as they pushed across a pair of runs. After a lead-off walk by Kristen Amegin (W. Sacramento, Calif./Elk Grove), pinch runner Jessie Wellnitz (Waterloo, Iowa/East) stole second and then advanced to third on a basehit by Jamie Dotson (Santa Ana, Calif./Foothill) and scored on an ensuing throwing error by the right fielder.
Two batters later, a single by Ashley Crane (Sammamish, Wash./Eastlake) scored Dotson from third, pushing NU's lead to 2-0.
For a while, it appeared as though Brown was going to shut down the Redbirds all by herself. The senior retired the first 10 batters in order, including seven on come-backers to the mound.
Abbie Scott finally became Illinois State's first baserunner of the game on a single with one out in the fourth, but Brown retired the next two Redbirds on a strikeout and flyout.
ISU (13-13) threatened in the bottom of the fifth inning, recording a pair of hits to put runners on first and second with two away. However, Brown got Kate Stake to ground to Crane at shortstop, who flipped to Cindy Muran (Newbury Park, Calif./Newbury Park) at third base for the force out, ending the threat.
Courtnay Foster (Tucson, Ariz./Sahuaro) came on in relief of Brown (4-0), pitching a perfect seventh inning to pick up her second save of the season. The freshman struck out the first two batters she faced and retired the third on a pop-up to Muran to end the game.
Northwestern outhit the Redbirds 5-3, while each team stranded four baserunners. Crane led NU with two hits.
The Wildcats return to action at 3 p.m. Wednesday when they travel to South Bend, Ind. to take on Notre Dame in a doubleheader.
