Northwestern University Athletics
Northwestern
Louisville
Louisville Holds Off No. 7 Northwestern, 5-4
3/23/2007 12:00:00 AM | Softball
March 23, 2007
LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- In a back-and-forth contest Friday afternoon during No. 7 Northwestern's opening contest at the Louisville Women 4 Women Invitational, the Wildcats saw their 11-game winning streak snapped by the host Cardinals, 5-4.
The loss drops Northwestern to 21-6 on the season, while Louisville improves to 15-12 with the win.
Senior Katie Logan (Tempe, Ariz./Corona del Sol) led off the top of the first with a triple to left, scampering all the way to third when her fly ball down the line fell just beyond the reach of a diving Brooke McCrain. The triple was the second of Logan's career, with the other coming May 20, 2005, in an NCAA Regional game versus Albany.
Louisville starter Kristen Wadwell was able to settle down after the leadoff base knock, however, coaxing a fly out to shallow center before notching two strikeouts to end the inning without any NU runs.
In the bottom of the third, the Cardinals pushed across the game's first run. With two outs and a runner at first, a high fly ball was misjudged and dropped for an error allowing the runner to come all the way in to score and give Louisville a 1-0 lead.
Northwestern responded immediately with a run in the top of the fourth. Freshman Nicole Pauly (Palatine, Ill./Palatine) led off with a single up the middle. Sophomore Erin Dyer (Homer Glen, Ill./Lockport) followed with a sacrifice bunt attempt, but the play went to second and the ball was dropped allowing NU to have runners on first and second.
One out later, sophomore Jessica Rigas (River Forest, Ill./Oak Park River Forest) drove a double into the gap in left-center to plate Pauly and knot the score, 1-1.
Louisville scored again in the bottom of the fourth on some strange events. With one out, the Cardinals put runners at second and third, then Northwestern starter Lauren Delaney (Jefferson City, Mo./Helias) notched a strikeout, but the pitch bounced before catcher Erin Dyer could corral it allowing the batter to take first without a throw as Dyer guarded against the runner from third taking home.
The next batter was hit in the helmet by a Delaney offering, forcing home a run to give Louisville a 2-1 lead. With the bases still loaded, Delaney got a strikeout and a groundout to second to end the frame with just one run of damage.
In the top of the fifth, Logan led off with a single for her third hit of the ballgame, then moved to third when sophomore Tammy Williams (Roscoe, Mo./Osceola) doubled.
Senior Garland Cooper (Mission Viejo, Calif./Santa Margarita Catholic) then lofted a fly ball deep to the warning track in left to score Logan and tie the game, 2-2. Williams moved to third on the play with some alert and speedy base running, then darted home when Pauly hit a little dribbler toward third, beating the throw to the plate to give Northwestern its first lead of the game, 3-2.
Cooper's RBI was her 30th of the season, while Williams' hit and run scored extended her consecutive-game streak with at least one of each to 13.
In what was turning into an exciting, back-and-forth contest, Louisville's Melissa Roth led off the bottom of the fifth with a solo home run to knot the score once again, 3-3. The blast knocked Delaney out of the game in favor of senior Eileen Canney (Paradise, Calif./Paradise).
Delaney went 4.0 innings in the game, allowing three runs (two earned) on four hits and two walks with two strikeouts.
In the top of the sixth, Rigas led off with a deep fly ball over the head of the centerfielder to the fence for her second double of the game. She was replaced by pinch runner Julia Sears (Chicago, Ill./Marist). Freshman Kelly Dyer (Homer Glen, Ill./Lockport) then laced a liner at first, where Sarah Totten batted it down into foul territory before retrieving it and throwing to the second baseman covering the bag to retire Dyer, but Sears moved to third on the play.
Kassie Stanfill (8-3) replaced Wadwell in the circle after the Dyer out.
Junior Darcy Sengewald (Frankfort, Ill./Lincoln Way East) then drew a walk, but Sears was picked off third on the play to make two outs in the inning. Logan followed with a deep fly ball down the right-field line in foul territory that McCrain absolutely laid out to grab and end the inning with no NU runs.
Louisville scored twice more in the bottom of the sixth to take a 5-3 lead after a two-out error allowed a pair of runners to come home from second and third.
In the top of the seventh, Cooper hit a one-out single for the 'Cats. One out later, Erin Dyer crushed a ball to the deepest part of the ballpark, doubling off the center-field fence to score Cooper and cut the deficit to just one, 5-4. Dyer was replaced at second by pinch-runner Aly Euler (River Forest, Ill./Oak Park River Forest), but no more runs would come across for the 'Cats.
Canney (10-6) was tagged with the loss after allowing two unearned runs on three hits with no walks or strikeouts in 2.0 innings pitched.
Logan finished 3-for-4 with a triple, while Rigas was 2-for-2 with two doubles for NU.
Northwestern returns to action at 10 a.m. CT Saturday, March 23, against Big Ten foe and ninth-ranked Michigan.
