Northwestern University Athletics
Northwestern
Oregon
No. 13 Northwestern Bests Oregon, 5-2
2/14/2009 12:00:00 AM | Softball
Feb. 14, 2009
HENDERSON, Nev. -- No. 13 Northwestern took an early 4-0 lead against Pacific-10 foe Oregon Saturday at the Louisville Slugger Desert Classic, cruising to a 5-2 victory in the contest.
With the win, Northwestern improves to 4-3 on the year while Oregon falls to 3-5 with its loss.
Northwestern opened the scoring in the top of the first. Senior Tammy Williams (Roscoe, Mo./Osceola) led off the game with a double to right center. Sophomore Robin Thompson (Detroit, Mich./Martin Luther King) slapped a ball back up the middle and beat the throw to first, but the throw sailed behind her to allow Williams to score and Thompson to move to second.
Nicole Pauly (Palatine, Ill./Palatine) followed Thompson with an infield single, then Erin Dyer (Homer Glen, Ill./Lockport) shot a single into left to plate Thompson and give NU an immediate 2-0 advantage.
The Wildcats doubled that number in the top of the second. With one out, Jordan Wheeler (Garden Grove, Calif./Los Alamitos) worked a full-count walk before Williams smashed a home run to center to give NU a 4-0 cushion. The blast was Williams' second of the season and the 44th of her career.
Northwestern starter Lauren Delaney (Jefferson City, Mo./Helias) no-hit the Ducks through the first three innings of play before surrendering a leadoff single in the bottom of the fourth. It was the first hit Delaney had given up to Oregon in 10 career innings against the Ducks after she no-hit them with a then-career-high 17 strikeouts on Feb. 22, 2008.
Oregon followed the base hit with its first run off Delaney on a double to the right-center gap, adding another tally on a second double to cut the Northwestern lead in half, 4-2.
Northwestern got one of the runs back in the top of the fifth. Thompson led off with an infield single before moving to second on a groundout by Pauly. After Thompson scampered to third on a passed ball, Michelle Batts (Bloomingdale, Ill./Glenbard North) brought her home with an RBI groundout to make the score 5-2.
Oregon got another base runner in the bottom of the fifth, but Delaney fanned a pair to end the inning and reach 10 Ks for the contest.
In the top of the seventh, pinch hitter Emily Haug (Jefferson City, Mo./Helias) drew a walk, then was replaced at first when Wheeler re-entered the game. The walk drove Oregon starter Brittany Rumfelt (0-3) from the circle in favor of Samantha Skillingstad. Two outs later Pauly beat out an infield single, but that was as far as the inning would get.
A leadoff Duck hit in the bottom of the seventh was erased by a 4-6-3 double play before the next batter reached second on an error. Delaney then whiffed the next batter to end the game.
Delaney (4-3) went the distance, allowing two runs on five hits with no walks and 12 strikeouts. She has 29 career Ks against Oregon in two complete game victories.
Williams, Thompson and Pauly all were 2-for-4 for NU in the game, with Williams driving in two and scoring twice on a double and a home run. Thompson also crossed the plate on two occasions.
Northwestern returns to action later today against Southern Utah in a game scheduled to begin a 5:45 p.m. CT.
