Northwestern
DePaul
No. 7 Northwestern Sweeps No. 14 DePaul, 7-4
5/3/2007 12:00:00 AM | Softball
May 3, 2007
EVANSTON, Ill. -- No. 7 Northwestern hit three more home runs to bring its total on the day to six, sweeping a doubleheader against No. 14 DePaul Thursday afternoon at Sharon J. Drysdale Field with a 7-4 win in game two.
The win improves the Wildcats to 43-10 on the season, while DePaul falls to 36-10 with the loss.
DePaul opened the scoring in game two of the doubleheader, plating a run in the top of the first against Northwestern starter Lauren Delaney (Jefferson City, Mo./Helias). Delaney hit the leadoff batter with a pitch, then the ensuing pinch runner was sacrificed to second. A wild pitch and a single brought the run home to give the Blue Demons a 1-0 lead.
The Wildcats knotted the game in the bottom of the second when freshman Nicole Pauly (Palatine, Ill./Palatine) led off with a laser-beam home run, lining the ball over the center-field fence to make the score 1-1.
In the first game of the doubleheader, Erin Dyer (Homer Glen, Ill./Lockport) hit two solo home runs for the 'Cats in a 3-0 win. Not to be outdone, Pauly sent her second solo shot of game two high off the Welsh-Ryan Arena wall in left field during the fourth inning to give NU a 2-1 lead.
Pauly's two home runs in the game give her 11 on the year, good for third on the team. Her 11 blasts are tied for the fifth-best total in NU single-season history.
With two outs in the frame, sophomore Jessica Rigas (River Forest, Ill./Oak Park River Forest) hit a tall, soaring fly ball to the warning track in left-center field, where it popped in and out of the glove of the centerfielder, allowing Rigas to reach second. Pinch runner Aly Euler (River Forest, Ill./Oak Park River Forest) replaced Rigas at second.
DePaul starter Becca Heteniak (16-5) then issued three-consecutive bases-on-balls to Jessica Miller (Elberfeld, Ind./Techumseh), Kelly Dyer (Homer Glen, Ill./Lockport) and Darcy Sengewald (Frankfort, Ill./Lincoln Way East) to force in Euler and give the Wildcats a two-run cushion, 3-1.
In the bottom of the fifth, Tammy Williams (Roscoe, Mo./Osceola) led off with an infield single, then worked her way to third on a groundout and a wild pitch. With two outs in the frame, Erin Dyer unleashed her third home run of the day to put NU up by four, 5-1.
Dyer now has 10 home runs on the season, becoming the fourth Wildcat to reach double-digits this year.
In the top of the sixth, DePaul scored three runs with the help of a double and a two-run home run to cut the Northwestern lead to one, 5-4.
The Wildcats struck back right away in the bottom of the inning. Miller led off with a line-drive double to the fence in left, then was replaced by pinch runner Ashley Lafever (Bettendorf, Iowa/Pleasant Valley). A bunt single from Kelly Dyer moved Lafever to third, then Dyer stole second.
Sengewald followed with a single to second that scored Lafever and moved Dyer to third, before an alert running play gave NU another run. Katie Logan (Tempe, Ariz./Corona del Sol) lined a ball to the shortstop that was gloved for out number one in the inning. The shortstop then threw to first to try to double up Sengewald, but the throw was late and Sengewald was safe. Kelly Dyer tagged up and sprinted home on the throw to first, scoring to give the Wildcats a three-run cushion, 7-4.
In the top of the seventh, Delaney got the first two outs before a double by Sandy Vojik. Senior Eileen Canney (Paradise, Calif./Paradise) then entered the circle in relief and got a groundout on her first pitch to pick up her third save of the year.
Delaney got the win to improve to 18-2 on the season, allowing four runs on seven hits and a walk with nine strikeouts.
Pauly, Dyer and Sengewald all finished with two RBIs for NU.
Northwestern's regular season now is complete. The Wildcats have the bye during the final weekend of Big Ten play coming up this weekend, and await the results of the Ohio State vs. Penn State series to see if they will host the Big Ten Tournament May 10-12. One Penn State win in the series would give Northwestern its second-consecutive Big Ten title.
