Northwestern University Athletics
Northwestern
Illinois
No. 11 Northwestern Drops Slugfest at Illinois, 10-8
4/25/2009 12:00:00 AM | Softball
April 25, 2009
URBANA, Ill. -- No. 11 Northwestern dropped a 10-8 slugfest against Illinois Saturday evening at Eichelberger Field, taking early leads of 3-0 and 7-4 before the Illini came back to claim a walk-off victory.
The temperature was 81 degrees at game time with a sustained wind of 22 mph from the SSW, gusting straight out to center at more than 35 mph at times (most of the time it seemed like). The breeze diminished as the game went on, but not by a big margin.
The loss drops Northwestern to 28-10 overall on the year, 12-3 in the Big Ten. Illinois improves to 25-14 on the season, 8-6 in the conference with its win.
Northwestern got on the board right away in the top of the first. Senior Tammy Williams (Roscoe, Mo./Osceola) hit a one-out single into left center before coming around to score on the next play. Freshman Adrienne Monka (Rancho Cucamonga, Calif./Rancho Cucamonga) hit a towering fly ball into center field, but the wind ferociously blew it all the way to the warning track where it fell beyond the retreating fielder for a double. Williams moved to third on the hit, then scored when the throw in got away for any error.
Sophomore Michelle Batts (Bloomingdale, Ill./Glenbard North) followed with a bloop double that fell just over the outstretched glove of the shortstop racing toward the left-field line. Monka had to wait to see if it would be caught and was only able to advance to third on the play. Senior Erin Dyer (Homer Glen, Ill./Lockport) then lofted another high pop up with two outs in the inning, this one on the infield, but again the wind wreaked havoc on the Illini defense and it fell for a two-run single to give NU a 3-0 lead after the top of the first.
Illinois loaded the bases in the bottom half of the first on a single and a pair of walks against Northwestern starter Lauren Delaney (Jefferson City, Mo./Helias). Delaney got the next batter to ground to short where Williams gloved it and fired home for out number two. A little jam-shot pop up was run down by Dyer just up the third-base line to end the frame with no Illini runs across.
Illinois did find the scoreboard in the bottom of the second, turning a trio of two-out walks into a 4-3 lead when the next batter to the plate hit a grand slam.
Northwestern grabbed the lead back in the top of the third. Monka drew a leadoff walk, then was replaced at first by pinch runner Aly Euler (River Forest, Ill./Oak Park River Forest). Nicole Pauly (Palatine, Ill./Palatine) joined Euler on the bases via a walk before Erin Dyer turned on a pitch and smashed it onto Florida Avenue beyond left field for a three-run homer and a 6-4 NU advantage. Dyer's shot was her career-best 14th of the season and the 43rd of her career. Already ranking third in NU history, the shot ties Dyer for seventh in Big Ten history in home runs.
Kelly Dyer (Homer Glen, Ill./Lockport) followed her sister with a double that one-hopped the fence in center, coming home when Jordan Wheeler (Garden Grove, Calif./Los Alamitos) lofted her second single of the game into center to make it 7-4 in favor of the 'Cats.
The Illini again put a number on the board in their half of the third, cutting the Wildcats' lead to one, 7-6, on a bases-loaded walk and a run-scoring wild pitch.
With one out in the top of the fourth, Monka launched a solo home run that sailed over the flag poles and their flags hustling in the wind in straightaway center to give NU a two-run cushion, 8-6. Monka's shot was her team-best 16th of the year and was the Wildcats' 70th of the season as a team in 38 games. NU entered the weekend ranked second in the nation with 1.75 homers per game.
Illinois put runners at first and second with no outs in the bottom of the fourth, then the next Illini batter hit a sharp grounder to Robin Thompson (Detroit, Mich./Martin Luther King) at third. Thompson wheeled to touch third before firing to Monka at first to complete the double play. Erin Dyer ended the inning one batter later when she threw out a runner attempting to take third on a ball in the dirt.
Illinois put together another two out rally in the bottom of the fifth. A two-out walk followed by a single into left and an infield single on a jam shot that just died before anyone could make a play on it loaded the bags. Two walks then brought home a pair of runs to knot the score, 8-8.
Illinois got a leadoff single in the bottom of the sixth, prompting NU to replace Delaney in the circle with Jessica Smith (Encinitas, Calif./La Costa Canyon). Smith coaxed a pair of fielder's choice grounders that erased the lead runners before surrendering a two-out single, but finished the inning strong with another ground out.
A leadoff error put a runner on in the bottom of the seventh before Smith induced a groud out, but a home run ended the game, 10-8.
Erin Dyer was 2-for-3 with five RBIs while Monka also was 2-for-3 and scored twice. Williams and Kelly Dyer both went 2-for-4 for NU, and Wheeler turned in a 2-for-3 effort as well.
Smith (1-1) earned the hard-luck loss, pitching 1.1 innings and allowing two runs (one earned) on two hits.
Northwestern and Illinois conclude their series at 2 p.m. tomorrow, Sunday, April 26.
