Northwestern University Athletics
Northwestern
No. 8 Michigan
No. 14 Northwestern Slams No. 8 Michigan, 6-5
3/21/2009 12:00:00 AM | Softball
March 21, 2009
Box Score
EVANSTON, Ill. -- No. 14 Northwestern launched a grand slam in the third inning and scored a run on an error in the bottom of the seventh to earn a dramatic, 6-5 victory over No. 8 Michigan Saturday in a game played on a perfect day for softball at Sharon J. Drysdale Field.
NEW BIG TEN NETWORK UPDATE: The game was broadcast live on the Big Ten Network, however due to a technical glitch the BTN switched away from the contest at 2 p.m. CT for the start of another event. The BTN has apologized for the error; originally the game was scheduled to be re-broadcast in its entirety at 10:30 p.m. CT Saturday night, but the Network has decided to push the re-broadcast to 11 a.m. CT Sunday to give the contest a better time slot. The game will immediately precede the live broadcast of Sunday's 1 p.m. game between Michigan and Northwestern, which absolutely will be shown to completion.
The win improves Northwestern to 14-7 overall on the season, 1-0 in the Big Ten. Michigan now is 20-8 overall, 0-1 in the conference.
Northwestern got off to a quick start in the bottom of the first. Robin Thompson (Detroit, Mich./Martin Luther King) lined the first pitch from Michigan starter Jordan Taylor into left for a single, then moved to second when Tammy Williams (Roscoe, Mo./Osceola) worked a full-count walk.
Two outs later, Nicole Pauly (Palatine, Ill./Palatine) lined a single back up the middle to plate Thompson, but the throw came behind the lead runner to get Williams in a pickle between second and third to end the frame with the Wildcats up 1-0.
Michigan tied the game immediately in the top of the second with a leadoff home run off NU starter Lauren Delaney (Jefferson City, Mo./Helias), but the junior ended the frame on a strong note with two-straight strikeouts.
The Wolverines put together another threat in the top of the third, getting runners at first and second with one out. The next batter hit a squirrely grounder to Pauly at second that hit toward first and squirted back toward second. Pauly hit the dirt and corralled the ball to nail the runner at first, keeping Michigan off the board when Delaney coaxed a harmless pop up to end the frame.
Northwestern answered with some noise in the bottom half of the frame. Williams led off with a single, then moved to third when Adrienne Monka (Rancho Cucamonga, Calif./Rancho Cucamonga) absolutely creamed a double to the fence in left. She gave way to pinch runner Aly Euler (River Forest, Ill./Oak Park River Forest). A fielder's choice grounder from Michelle Batts (Bloomingdale, Ill./Glenbard North) erased Williams at the plate before a walk to Pauly loaded the bags. Another fielder's choice ball put out Euler at home.
With two outs in the inning and two strikes in her at-bat, junior Kelly Dyer (Homer Glen, Ill./Lockport) hulked up and hit a bomb of a grand slam over the stairwell tube attached to Welsh-Ryan Arena beyond left field. The blast was her fifth home run of the season, the 13th of her career and the second grand slam in her time at NU. She hit a seventh-inning, game-winning grand slam on Feb. 24, 2007, against No. 2 Arizona State during her freshman campaign.
The grand slam was NU's second as a team against an eighth-ranked squad this year; Batts hit a walk-off salami to defeat then-No. 8 Tennessee, 7-3, on March 7.
Michigan cut the Northwestern lead in half with a two-run home run in the top of the fifth before knotting the game in the top of the sixth, taking advantage of a Wildcat error with a pair of singles to make the score 5-5. U-M then replaced Taylor in the circle with Nikki Nemitz (12-4) to start the sixth.
The Wolverines again had a rally in the top of the seventh, putting runners on first and second with no outs thanks to a base hit and an NU error. Delaney got a pop out to Williams and then the Wildcats turned a textbook 4-6-3 double play to end the frame.
Thompson led off the bottom of the seventh with a hard-hit double to left, then Michigan elected to intentionally walk Williams. Monka stepped the plate and hit a little flare to second that bounced and ricocheted off the fielder and toward the outfield, allowing the ultra-fast Thompson to motor around third and slide in under the tag for the win.
Delaney (13-6) picked up the win with a complete game effort, allowing five runs (three earned) on seven hits and four walks with seven strikeouts.
Thompson, Monka and Kelly Dyer all were 2-for-4 at the plate, with Dyer driving in four and Thompson crossing home twice.
Northwestern and Michigan return to action in the second game of their season-opening series at 1 p.m. CT tomorrow, Sunday, March 22. That game also will be broadcast live in stunning high definition on the Big Ten Network.
