Northwestern Picks Apart IPFW, 8-1

3/6/2011 12:00:00 AM | Softball

March 6, 2011

Box Score

Site: Fullerton, Calif. (Anderson Family Field)
Score: Northwestern 8, IPFW 1
Records: NU (12-5), IPFW (6-3-1)
Next NU Event: March 18-20 -- at Louisville Slugger Classic (Palo Alto, Calif.)

FULLERTON, Calif. -- Northwestern scored three runs in each of the first two innings Sunday morning against IPFW on getaway day at the DeMarini Invitational, cruising from there for an 8-1 win over the Mastodons.

Northwestern completes a perfect 5-0 weekend at the DeMarini Invitational with its win, moving to 12-5 overall on the season. The last time NU went 5-0 at a preconference tournament was in 2007 at this very same DeMarini Invitational (though it was known as the Worth Invitational at the time). NU went 4-0 at the season-opening Kajikawa Classic in 2008, defeating then -- No. 1 Arizona and then-No. 3 Texas A&M -- but the fifth game of that weekend was washed out by rain.

IPFW falls to 6-3-1 overall on the year with its loss.

The Wildcats wasted no time jumping on top of the Mastodons. Emily Allard (Antioch, Calif./Deer Valley) led off the top of the first with a single back through the middle, then moved to second when Robin Thompson (Detroit, Mich./Martin Luther King) was hit by a pitch. Adrienne Monka (Rancho Cucamonga, Calif./Rancho Cucamonga) drove in Allard with a single to center, then Michelle Batts (Bloomingdale, Ill./Glenbard North) brought Thompson home with a double to the fence in right-center.

With Monka at third and pinch runner Amanda Mehrsheikh (Chesterfield, Mo./Parkway Central) at second, Marisa Bast (Orange, Calif./Villa Park) lofted a one-out single into left to score Monka and make it a 3-0 NU lead before the inning ended.

IPFW got a pair of two-out singles against Northwestern starter Meghan Lamberth (Wildwood, Mo./Lafayette) in the bottom of the first, but the sophomore coaxed an inning-ending pop up to Allard at short to get end the rally.

The Wildcats got right back to work offensively in the top of the second. Kristin Scharkey (Yorba Linda, Calif./Esperanza) drew a leadoff walk, then stole second base. Allard moved Scharkey to third with her second base hit of the game, then the Mastodons threw the ball away on an Allard steal attempt, allowing Scharkey to score and moving Allard to third. Monka drew a walk before giving way to pinch runner Paige Tonz (Peoria, Ariz./Centennial), who quickly stole second. Batts loaded the bases on a fielder's choice grounder when the throw came to the plate instead of to first, then Mari Majam (Pine Valley, Calif./Mountain Empire) made IPFW pay with a gapper double to right-center that drove in a pair, extending the NU advantage to 6-0.

The Mastodons elected to lift starter Courtney Cronin (5-2) in favor of Rachel Staschuk after the Majam rocket. Staschuk was able to stem the rally's tide and retire the 'Cats. IPFW loaded the bases with two outs in the bottom of the second, earning its first run on an error on a bounding ball in the infield before Lamberth got a strikeout to end the inning.

A two-out rally in the top of the third got the run back for the Wildcats. Allard reached base with her third hit in as many innings, then moved to third when the throw on her steal attempt again got away for an error. Thompson followed with a pretty bunt single to bring Allard home and make NU's lead 7-1.

To start the bottom of the third, Sammy Albanese (Belmont, Calif./Castilleja) entered in relief of Lamberth in the circle. The first batter up doubled to center, but was erased when Monka alertly fired across the diamond on a grounder to first. The next batter hit a sharp grounder to short, where Allard gobbled it up on the short hop to start a 6-4-3 inning ending double play.

From there, both pitchers kept the opposing team's bats silent. Albanese struck out the side in the bottom of the fifth before stranding a two-out walk in the sixth.

Northwestern added a run when Kelly Quinn (Northbrook, Ill./Glenbrook North) smacked a two-out pinch-hit single in the seventh to drive home Bast, who had clubbed a one-out double to the fence. That tally accounted for the final 8-1 score.

In the bottom of the seventh, Albanese closed out the game for the 'Cats in similar fashion to her previous couple of dominant innings.

Albanese (2-1) picked up the victory in relief, going 5.0 innings and allowing no runs on two hits and a walk with three strikeouts. Lamberth threw 2.0 innings in the game, allowing one unearned run on three hits and two walks with a strikeout.

Allard led NU at the plate with her seventh game with three or more hits this season. She has four three-hit games, two four-hit efforts and one school-record five-hit outing in 2011. Bast recorded two hits while Majam drove in a pair for NU.

After playing four-straight weekends to kick off the 2011 season, Northwestern has next week off for winter quarter finals. The Wildcats return to action March 18-20 at the Louisville Slugger Classic hosted by Stanford in Palo Alto, Calif.

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