Minnesota Outpaces Northwestern, 3-0

5/4/2011 12:00:00 AM | Softball

May 4, 2011

Box Score

Site: Evanston, Ill. (Sharon J. Drysdale Field)
Score: Minnesota 3, Northwestern 0
Records: NU (22-16, 4-9 Big Ten), Minnesota (29-21, 7-8 Big Ten)
Next NU Event: May 4, 2011 -- vs. Minnesota (Drysdale Field), Immediately

EVANSTON, Ill. -- Northwestern escaped several bases-loaded jams and situations Wednesday in the first game of a doubleheader against Minnesota at Sharon J. Drysdale Field, but enough runs came across to give the Gophers a 3-0 win over the Wildcats.

With the loss, Northwestern falls to 22-16 overall on the season, 4-9 in the Big Ten. Minnesota now is 29-21 on the year, 7-8 in the conference with its win.

The first two Gophers to the plate in the game reached against NU starter Jessica Smith (Encinitas, Calif./La Costa Canyon), then the senior got a strikeout and infield fly quickly. The next batter hit a soft single into center, but centerfielder Kristin Scharkey (Yorba Linda, Calif./Esperanza) charged the ball, picked it up and fired home to put out the lead runner and end the inning with the score still 0-0.

In bottom half of the inning, Northwestern got started in a hurry. Emily Allard (Antioch, Calif./Deer Valley) led off with a single before stealing second and third on consecutive pitches. Robin Thompson (Detroit, Mich./Martin Luther King) joined her on base when the throw on a grounder went toward third, but Allard was safe on the play. With runners now at the corners, Minnesota elected to intentionally walk Adrienne Monka (Rancho Cucamonga, Calif./Rancho Cucamonga) to load the bases with no outs. The move paid off for the Gophers when the next three batters all went down, sending the game scoreless to the second inning.

Minnesota pushed a run across with a two-out rally in the second. With a runner at second, the Gophers got a two-out single before NU loaded the bags on an intentional pass. The next batter was hit by a pitch to force in a run before Smith got a three-pitch K to end the frame with NU trailing, 1-0.

After a scoreless bottom of the second for Northwestern, Smith came out and struck out the side in the top of the third. Cueing on the momentum, Allard led off the bottom of the third with a single prior to quickly stealing her third bag of the game. One out later, Monka again was intentionally walked, but Allard was called out later on in the inning when she collided with a fielder on a batted ball from Marisa Bast (Orange, Calif./Villa Park), and the rally died down from there.

Minnesota built the game's next rally, loading the bases with no outs in the top of the fourth. Going to a 3-0 count on the next batter, Smith got her to foul out softly to Thompson at third. A hit batter and a tough-luck single that took a wicked hop off Thompson's shoulder scored a pair for the Gophers in the inning, though, leading to a 3-0 deficit for NU entering the bottom of the fourth.

The Wildcats escaped another bases-loaded jam in the fifth when the final out came on a soft liner to Allard at short. Smith then set the side down in order in both the sixth and seventh innings, but unfortunately, Northwestern continued to have trouble pushing runs across in its own offensive innings. In the seventh, Scharkey drew a walk and Allard recorded her third hit, but the game ended when Monka smoked a ball toward first that the fielder miraculously stuck her glove out to snare.

Allard led NU at the plate with three hits and three stolen bases, her 11th game this year with three or more hits. Monka's streak of reaching base in 25 consecutive plate appearances ended with the game-ending play.

Smith (7-9) took the loss, going 7.0 innings and allowing three runs (one earned) on six hits and four walks with eight strikeouts.

Northwestern and Minnesota return to action immediately in the second game of their doubleheader at Sharon J. Drysdale Field.

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