Northwestern
Penn State
Penn State Holds Off No. 7 Northwestern, 6-5
4/15/2007 12:00:00 AM | Softball
April 15, 2007
EVANSTON, Ill. -- Penn State withstood several late Northwestern rallies Sunday in the second game of a doubleheader at Sharon J. Drysdale Field, defeating the seventh-ranked Wildcats, 6-5.
The loss drops Northwestern to 33-9 overall, 8-3 in the Big Ten. Penn State now is 19-13 on the year, 3-1 in the conference.
After getting just one hit in the first game of the double-dip, Penn State scored twice on three hits in the bottom of the first in game two. A two-run home run was responsible for the damage against Northwestern starter Lauren Delaney (Jefferson City, Mo./Helias).
In the top of the third, the Wildcats got one run back. Junior Darcy Sengewald (Frankfort, Ill./Lincoln Way East) led off with a booming double into the gap in left-center field. Senior Katie Logan (Tempe, Ariz./Corona del Sol) then singled to the shortstop to put runners at first and second with no outs.
Sophomore Tammy Williams (Roscoe, Mo./Osceola) followed with a line shot at the third baseman, who leapt to grab it and then fired to first in time to double off Logan to record the first two outs of the inning. With first base open, Penn State starter Jenn Reynolds issued an intentional walk to senior Garland Cooper (Mission Viejo, Calif./Santa Margarita Catholic), with the catcher setting up in the opposite batter's box and coming out of her crouch to catch the final couple of pitches.
Freshman Nicole Pauly (Palatine, Ill./Palatine) followed with a seeing-eye single that threaded through the left-side of the infield to score Sengewald from second and cut the Northwestern deficit to one, 2-1.
Penn State scored two more in the bottom of the third. After runners reached second and third on a single and a double, Jenn Reynolds hit a double into the left-center field gap to score two and give the Nittany Lions a 4-1 lead. Northwestern head coach Kate Drohan then replaced Delaney in the circle with senior Eileen Canney (Paradise, Calif./Paradise), who then was immediately touched up for a two-run home run to make the PSU advantage five, 6-1.
Northwestern quickly mounted a rally in the top of the fourth, getting three runs back right away. Senior Jessica Miller (Elberfeld, Ind./Techumseh) drew a leadoff walk, then moved to second one out later when Sengewald singled through the right side. Penn State then replaced starter Jenn Reynolds with game one starter Ashley Esparza in the circle.
Logan immediately drew a four-pitch walk to load the bases, then one out later Esparza hit Cooper with a pitch to force in Miller. Pauly followed with a hot-shot single through to right side to plate both Sengewald and Logan to cut the NU deficit to two, 6-4.
Penn State put together a threat of its own in the bottom of the fifth, loading the bases with two outs. Canney fanned the next batter up, however, to end the frame with no Nittany Lion runs across.
In the top of the seventh, Sengewald drove a two-out, two-strike pitch over the left-field fence to cut the deficit down to just one, 6-5. The homer was her second of the season.
Logan followed with an infield base hit to third to keep the Northwestern rally alive, but a deep fly ball from Williams was caught on the warning track in left to end the game.
Delaney was saddled with the first loss of her career after winning her first 15 decisions. She allowed five runs on six hits with one walk and two strikeouts in 2.2 innings of work. Canney pitched the final 3.1 innings, allowing one run on two hits with two walks and a pair of Ks.
Sengewald finished 3-for-4 with a double, a home run and three runs scored, while Logan also had three hits. Pauly was 2-for-4 and drove in three runs.
Northwestern returns to action at 4 p.m. Tuesday, April 17, at Loyola (Chicago).
