Batts' Bomb Helps Northwestern By Penn State, 8-6

5/1/2010 12:00:00 AM | Softball

May 1, 2010

Box Score | Photo Gallery

Site: Evanston, Ill. (Sharon J. Drysdale Field)
Score: Northwestern 8, Penn State 6
Records: NU (23-19, 8-5 Big Ten), Penn State (28-19, 7-8 Big Ten)
Next NU Event: May 2, 2010 -- vs. Penn State (Drysdale Field), 11 a.m. CT (Big Ten Network)

EVANSTON, Ill. -- For every action, an equal and opposite reaction. Northwestern adhered to physics when it answered a Penn State five-run second inning with one of its own Saturday at Sharon J. Drysdale Field, but the Wildcats threw science out the window by responding to a fifth-inning Nittany Lion score with a three-run Michelle Batts (Bloomingdale, Ill./Glenbard North) behemoth home run to push NU to an 8-6 victory.

Northwestern improves to 23-19 overall on the year with the win, 8-5 in the Big Ten. Penn State falls to 28-19 on the season, 7-8 in the conference with its loss.

Northwestern starter Lauren Delaney (Jefferson City, Mo./Helias) went right to work Saturday, fanning a pair of Nittany Lions to put a Penn State bagel on the board in the top of the first. In the bottom of the frame, freshman Kristin Scharkey (Yorba Linda, Calif./Esperanza) earned a one-out infield single before stealing second and moving to third on an Adrienne Monka (Rancho Cucamonga, Calif./Rancho Cucamonga) deep fly out, but no two-out RBI was forthcoming for the 'Cats.

Penn State put the game's first runs on the board in the top of the second courtesy of a bases-loaded single and a one-out walk. At that point, Northwestern head coach Kate Drohan lifted Delaney in favor of junior Jessica Smith (Encinitas, Calif./La Costa Canyon) in the circle. Smith struck out the first batter she faced on three pitches before jamming the next batter, but unfortunately that jam shot fell just beyond the dive of Nicole Pauly (Palatine, Ill./Palatine) tracking back into right field to clear the bases and give the Nittany Lions a 5-0 lead.

Northwestern junior Michelle Batts (Bloomingdale, Ill./Glenbard North) led off the Wildcats' response in the bottom of the second with a line-drive double into the gap in right center. She gave way to pinch runner Kelly Quinn (Northbrook, Ill./Glenbrook North), who motored around to home and evaded the tag with a great slide inside the plate after Emily Haug (Jefferson City, Mo./Helias) shot a single into right field to make it 5-1. Haug moved to second on the throw to the plate, then was joined on base when Kelly Dyer (Homer Glen, Ill./Lockport) worked a full-count walk. Two outs later, Emily Allard (Antioch, Calif./Deer Valley) singled through the middle to load the bases before Scharkey drew a walk to force home Haug and cut the PSU lead to two, 5-2.

Monka then stepped to the plate and delivered the big blow, a bases-clearing double into the gap in right center to knot the game, 5-5, going into the third inning.

After both teams combined for 10 runs in the second inning, they combined for just six batters in the third. Both Smith and Penn State starter Jackie Hill set their respective opposing sides down in order quite expediently before each allowed only a leadoff single in the fourth. Penn State found the scoreboard again with a leadoff home run in the top of the fifth to edge ahead, 6-5.

Northwestern again answered the Penn State score right away. Monka drew a leadoff walk in the bottom of the fifth before Aly Euler (River Forest, Ill./Oak Park River Forest) entered to run for her. Euler moved to second when Pauly pushed a bunt single over the head of a charging third-baseman, then Batts stepped to the plate and unleashed a monstrous home run nearly through the uprights on the north practice football field beyond the bleachers in right to thrust the Wildcats into the lead for the first time in the game, 8-6. Batts' blast was her 10th of the season and the 30th of her career.

From there, both offenses were quiet, with Smith working around a seventh-inning walk to close out the game.

Smith (9-5) tossed 5.2 innings of relief to earn the win, allowing one run on four hits and two walks with four strikeouts. Delaney threw 1.1 innings, allowing five runs on one hit and six walks with three strikeouts.

Batts led NU at the plate, going 2-for-3 with a double, a home run and three RBIs. Monka also drove in a trio for the Wildcats.

Northwestern and Penn State conclude their series at 11 a.m. CT tomorrow, Sunday, May 2, at Sharon J. Drysdale Field. The game will be broadcast live in high definition on the Big Ten Network.

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