Northwestern Falls to Michigan State, 13-4 (5)

4/13/2011 12:00:00 AM | Softball

April 13, 2011

Box Score

Site: Evanston, Ill. (Drysdale Field)
Score: Michigan State 13, Northwestern 4 (5)
Records: NU (19-11, 1-4 Big Ten), Michigan State (21-17, 3-6 Big Ten)
Next NU Event: April 13, 2011 -- vs. Michigan State (Sharon J. Drysdale Field), Immediately

EVANSTON, Ill. -- Michigan State jumped out to a huge lead Wednesday in the first game of a doubleheader at Sharon J. Drysdale Field, countering a third-inning charge by Northwestern to earn a 13-4, five-inning victory against the Wildcats.

Northwestern falls to 19-11 overall on the year with its loss, 1-4 in the Big Ten. Michigan State now is 21-17 on the season, 3-6 in the conference with its win.

Michigan State got on the board early with a three-run, two-out home run in the top of the first against Northwestern starter Jessica Smith (Encinitas, Calif./La Costa Canyon). The Spartans added to their total in the second with a run-scoring two-out single before a grand slam barely got over the glove of the fielder leaping at the fence to make it an 8-0 score after an inning and a half.

MSU notched a one-out single in the top of the third, prompting head coach Kate Drohan to insert Meghan Lamberth (Wildwood, Mo./Lafayette) into the circle in relief. The next batter hit a two-run home run to make the score 10-0.

Northwestern got itself on the board in the bottom of the third. Lauren Ackerman (St. Louis, Mo./Home schooled) worked a leadoff walk before immediately coming all the way home when Jordan Wheeler (Garden Grove, Calif./Los Alamitos) smashed a double over the head of the centerfielder. The inning continued when Kristin Scharkey (Yorba Linda, Calif./Esperanza) was hit by a pitch before, one out later, Robin Thompson (Detroit, Mich./Martin Luther King) ripped a single into center to load the bases.

Adrienne Monka (Rancho Cucamonga, Calif./Rancho Cucamonga) followed with a bloop off the handle of her bat that fell in front of a diving second baseman, making everyone safe and driving in a second run for the 'Cats. One out later, Marisa Bast (Orange, Calif./Villa Park) drove a single through the left side of the infield to plate Scharkey and Thompson, cutting the deficit to six, 10-4, after three innings of play.

The Spartans fought back for a single run on a sacrifice fly in the top of the fourth, pushing their lead back out to seven, 11-4.

Northwestern put together a two-out rally in the bottom of the fourth, but unfortunately came away empty. Again Ackerman started it with a walk before being erased on a Scharkey fielder's choice grounder. Emily Allard (Antioch, Calif./Deer Valley) then extended her hitting streak to 21 games with a base knock before Thompson loaded the bags with a perfect bunt single. Monka stepped to the plate and blasted a bounder toward short, but it took a wicked hop and hit Allard, resulting in a by-rule hit for Monka but an inning-ending out due to the hit runner.

Michigan State pushed the game back into run-rule territory with a two-run home run in the top of the fifth following an NU error. Kelly Quinn (Northbrook, Ill./Glenbrook North) and Ackerman drew two-out walks in the bottom of the fifth, but it was not enough to keep the game going in a 13-4, run-rule defeat.

Smith (6-7) went 2.1 innings to take the loss, allowing nine runs on seven hits and four walks with two strikeouts. Lamberth went 2.2 innings of relief, giving up four runs (three earned) on four hits and a walk with three strikeouts.

Thompson and Monka both had two hits at the plate while Bast drove in a pair.

Northwestern returns to action immediately in the second game of its Wednesday doubleheader against Michigan State.

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