Northwestern University Athletics
Northwestern
Wisconsin
Northwestern Loses Heartbreaker to Wisconsin, 4-2
4/9/2004 12:00:00 AM | Softball
April 9, 2004
EVANSTON, Ill. -- Courtnay Foster has become familiar with the hard-luck loss. A week after striking out 10 in a 2-0 loss to Illinois, the sophomore fanned 14 Wisconsin batters Friday in a 4-2 Badgers' win in eight innings at Sharon J. Drysdale Field.
With the score tied at 2-2 in the bottom of the seventh, Eryn Manahan singled and Kristen Amegin drew her team-leading 22nd walk of the season to put two on with no outs for the Wildcats. Jamie Dotson successfully advanced the runners before J.C. Kira hit a monster drive over the left field fence that went inches foul. Kira could not straighten it out, as she and Katie Logan then struck out to send the game to extra innings.
Wisconsin (22-17, 2-3 Big Ten) was able to push across two runs in the top of the eighth on a leadoff double, a single and a bizarre fielder's interference call on an infield popup. NU put two on with two outs in the bottom of the frame when Erin Mobley singled and Garland Cooper walked, but the 'Cats could not bring them home. Northwestern left 15 runners on base in the contest.
"We can not leave that many people on base and expect to win," NU head coach Kate Drohan said. "Courtnay pitched another strong outing, but we could not make the plays we needed to make."
Foster, who has now struck out 148 in 112.2 innings pitched, allowed four runs -- three earned -- in going the distance for the Wildcats (17-12, 1-4 Big Ten). Her record now falls to 8-10. Katie Layne (11-8) earned the win for Wisconsin
Down 1-0 in the bottom of the fourth, Amegin led off the inning with a laser beam homerun to knot the score at 1-1. The blast was Amegin's fourth of the year, tying her with Cooper for the team lead. Carri Leto tacked on another run in the frame for the 'Cats, blasting a deep sacrifice fly that plated Dotson.
Wisconsin tied the game at two in the top of the sixth when Kris Zacher hit a ball to the warning track that bounced off Mobley's glove and over the fence.
The two teams will face off again tomorrow at noon at Sharon J. Drysdale Field for the final game of the series.
