Northwestern University Athletics
Northwestern
Oregon State
Wildcats Bound Past Beavers, 12-3 (6)
3/5/2010 12:00:00 AM | Softball
March 5, 2010
Box Score
FULLERTON, Calif. -- Northwestern hung a six-spot on Oregon State in the sixth inning of a Friday contest at the 2010 DeMarini Invitational hosted by Cal State Fullerton, surging past the Beavers for a 12-3 (6) run-rule victory.
Northwestern improves to 8-9 with its win while Oregon State now is 5-11 with its loss.
Adrienne Monka (Rancho Cucamonga, Calif./Rancho Cucamonga) wasted little time getting Northwestern on the board in the top of the first inning, clubbing a two-run home run following an Emily Allard (Antioch, Calif./Deer Valley) walk. Monka now has eight homers on the year and 27 in her young career.
Oregon State stormed back against Northwestern, taking the lead, 3-2, on consecutive singles followed by a home run against Wildcat starter Jessica Smith (Encinitas, Calif./La Costa Canyon), prompting an early relief appearance by Meghan Lamberth (Wildwood, Mo./Lafayette). The freshman walked the first batter she faced before retiring the next five in a row heading into the third inning.
In the top half of that frame, Monka led off with a walk before Kelly Quinn (Northbrook, Ill./Glenbrook North) replaced her at first. A one-out walk to Emily Haug (Jefferson City, Mo./Helias) put runners at second and third before Nicole Pauly (Palatine, Ill./Palatine) singled off the third-baseman's glove to allow Quinn to come around and tie the game, 3-3.
A fielder's choice grounder by Kelly Dyer (Homer Glen, Ill./Lockport) erased Pauly at second and moved Haug to third. Dyer immediately stole second, then both runners sprinted around to give Northwestern a 5-3 lead when a Jordan Wheeler (Garden Grove, Calif./Los Alamitos) grounder was bobbled at second, allowing the speedy outfielder to beat the throw on the error.
The Wildcats added another score in the top of the fifth when Oregon State's first baseman made two errors on the same play. Preceding that happening, Dyer notched a two-out bunt single. Wheeler then hit a grounder, but the throw was not handled, allowing Wheeler to reach on an error for the second time in the game. While the runners moved around the bases, the first baseman attempted to get Dyer at third, but her throw sailed to send Dyer to the plate and make it 6-3.
After Lamberth recorded her second 1-2-3 inning in the circle in the bottom of the fifth, Northwestern hung a tidy six-spot on Oregon State in the top of the sixth. Allard led off the frame with an infield single before swiping second and moving to third on a productive groundout by Lauren Ackerman (St. Louis, Mo./Home schooled). Monka received an intentional walk from Oregon State starter Paige Hall (3-10), who then gave way in the circle to Marina Demore.
Michelle Batts (Bloomingdale, Ill./Glenbard North) greeted Demore with a run-scoring single to left, scoring Allard and moving Monka to third. Haug then extended the warm welcome with a three-run home run to left, blowing the game wide open, 10-3. Haug now has fiver homers this year and eight in her career.
The inning continued when Pauly was hit by a pitch, Dyer drew a walk and Wheeler reached on a fielder's choice where everybody was safe to load the bases. The at-bat was the third-straight for Wheeler in which she reached base without the benefit of a hit or walk. Aly Euler (River Forest, Ill./Oak Park River Forest) then worked a full-count walk from Demore to push home Pauly and take things into run-rule territory, 11-3. OSU returned Hall to the circle, but she quickly hit Allard with a pitch to force in Dyer before the frame ended with NU up by nine, 12-3.
Oregon State got runners to second and third with two outs in the bottom of the sixth on a single and a two-out double, but Lamberth closed the door on the rally with a backwards K.
Lamberth (1-2) earned the win in relief, recording all but one out in the game to go 5.2 innings and allow no runs on four hits with one walk and three strikeouts.
Haug finished with three RBIs and two runs for Northwestern. Dyer scored three runs for the third time in her career while both Allard and Monka crossed the plate twice. Monka also knocked in a pair.
Northwestern returns to action at 5:45 p.m. CT Saturday, March 6, for consecutive contests against UC Davis and No. 10 Stanford. NU also will at some point complete its suspended game against UC Davis from last week at the Cathedral City Classic; the Wildcats lead 7-1 entering the bottom of the sixth.
