Northwestern University Athletics
Northwestern
Minnesota
Monka Roof Shot Highlights 9-3 Wildcat Win over Gophers
4/14/2010 12:00:00 AM | Softball
April 14, 2010
Box Score
Site: Evanston, Ill. (Drysdale Field)
Score: Northwestern 9, Minnesota 3
Records: NU (18-16, 4-3 Big Ten), Minnesota (15-27, 1-7 Big Ten)
Next NU Event: Saturday, April 17 -- at Michigan, 5 p.m. CT
EVANSTON, Ill. -- Sophomore Adrienne Monka (Rancho Cucamonga, Calif./Rancho Cucamonga) launched the fourth home run in Sharon J. Drysdale Field history to reach the roof of McGaw Hall, highlighting a nine run outburst in a 9-3 Northwestern win over Minnesota in the second game of a Wednesday Big Ten doubleheader.
The win improves Northwestern to 18-16 overall on the year, 4-3 in the Big Ten. Minnesota now is 15-27 overall with its loss, 1-7 in the conference.
"It was nice to settle in today," head coach Kate Drohan said. "Our pitchers threw well, we executed our plan in the batter's box and we ran the bases well on a beautiful day at the ballpark."
Northwestern starter Jessica Smith (Encinitas, Calif./La Costa Canyon) started the game in fantastic fashion for the Wildcats, using 12 pitches to retire the Minnesota side in order.
In the bottom of the first, freshman Emily Allard (Antioch, Calif./Deer Valley) drew a leadoff walk before immediately stealing second base. Classmate Kristin Scharkey (Yorba Linda, Calif./Esperanza) joined Allard on base via a walk, then Monka hit a grounder that hugged the third-base line. The fielder gathered it and dove to the bag to force out Allard, but Allard slid into the glove and knocked the ball loose to render herself safe on an error.
Junior Michelle Batts (Bloomingdale, Ill./Glenbard North) followed with a double over the head of the center fielder that one-hopped the wall to score both Allard and Scharkey and move Monka to third. Back-to-back sacrifice flies from Nicole Pauly (Palatine, Ill./Palatine) and Emily Haug (Jefferson City, Mo./Helias) followed to put Northwestern on top 4-0 after one complete inning of play.
Minnesota got its first hit of the contest on a leadoff single in the second, but a slick 5-4-3 around-the-horn double play erased that Gopher for Smith, who later on in the frame ended things with her first K of the game.
Both Minnesota starter Alissa Koch and Smith put things on cruise control through the middle innings, with Smith retiring seven in a row after a two-out single in the second. In the bottom of the fourth, Northwestern picked up the pace again offensively. Kelly Dyer (Homer Glen, Ill./Lockport) earned a four-pitch walk to lead off the frame, then stole second base. Jordan Wheeler (Garden Grove, Calif./La Costa Canyon) followed with a walk of her own to put a pair of Wildcats on base with no outs.
Robin Thompson (Detroit, Mich./Martin Luther King) successfully sacrificed both runners over, then Dyer came home when the first pitch to Allard got away for a wild pitch. Allard then lifted a pop fly just behind the bag at third that fell between two fielders for a single, although Wheeler had to hold her position. Allard took off for second on a steal attempt, and the throw bounded off the shortstop's glove for an error, allowing Wheeler to come home on the play.
Monka then stepped to the plate and pushed the game into run-rule territory in historic fashion. The sophomore crushed her 11th home run of the year onto the roof of McGaw Hall to make it an 8-0 game, and set a few marks in the process. The blast was the 30th of the second-year player's career and was just the fourth home run in the history of Sharon J. Drysdale Field to reach the McGaw roof. The others to accomplish that feat were Jessica Miller on March 31, 2007, against then-No. 10 Michigan; Pauly versus Indiana in the first game of a doubleheader on April 4, 2009; and Erin Dyer in the second game of that Indiana double-dip.
Minnesota got runners to the corners with two outs in the top of the fifth against Smith before a pinch-hit two-out double plated a pair of runners to make the score 8-2 and give the Gophers a reprieve from the run-rule.
In the bottom of the fifth, Pauly led off with a single down the line in left before motoring to third when Haug singled back through the middle. Haug alertly sped into second on the throw to third, then was replaced by pinch runner Aly Euler (River Forest, Ill./Oak Park River Forest). One out later, pinch hitter Meghan Lamberth (Wildwood, Mo./Lafayette) drove a single through the infield into right field to score Pauly, but a perfect strike from the fielder to the plate cut down Euler to leave the NU advantage at seven, 9-2.
Smith retired the Gophers silently in the top of the sixth, then Scharkey drew a one-out walk in the bottom half to start NU's offense. With Monka at the plate, a passed ball moved Scharkey to second before Monka drew a walk and was replaced by pinch runner Lauren Ackerman (St. Louis, Mo./Wildwood), but no runs came of NU's rally.
Smith allowed a solo home run in the top of the seventh, but that was all in closing out the victory.
Smith (6-3) earned the win after 7.0 innings of work, allowing three runs on six hits and one walk with six strikeouts.
Allard and Monka both scored twice while Monka and Batts drove in a pair each for NU. Pauly had two hits in the game.
Northwestern returns to action at 5 p.m. CT Saturday, April 17, at No. 2 Michigan.
