Northwestern University Athletics
Northwestern
10-14
University of Massachusetts
11-10
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Lamberth, Meghan (5-6)
L: PLOURDE, Sara (10-9)
Batting:
2B: MAGILL,Kyllie 1 ; PLOURDE, Sara 1
HR: QUEALY, Maggie 1
RBI: PLOURDE, Sara 2 ; LEMIRE, Bridget 1 ; QUEALY, Maggie 2
SH: MAGILL,Kyllie 1
SF: PLOURDE, Sara 1
Base Running:
RUNS: WEBSTER, Lindsey 2 ; MAGILL,Kyllie 1 ; PANKO, Mikayla 1 ; QUEALY, Maggie 1
Batting:
2B: Monka, Adrienne 1
HR: Monka, Adrienne 1 ; Duehr, Olivia 2
RBI: Allard, Emily 1 ; Monka, Adrienne 2 ; Bast, Marisa 2 ; Edwards, Anna 1 ; Duehr, Olivia 6 ; Tonz, Paige 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Allard, Emily 1 ; Majam, Mari 2 ; Monka, Adrienne 1 ; Bast, Marisa 2 ; Edwards, Anna 1 ; Letourneau, Amy 1 ; DiPrima, Andrea 1 ; Duehr, Olivia 2 ; Tonz, Paige 1 ; Scharkey, Kristin 1
Game Leaders
Players Mentioned
Mercy! Northwestern Run-Rules Massachusetts, 13-5 (5)
3/20/2012 12:00:00 AM | Softball
Northwestern improves to 10-14 overall on the season with its win while Massachusetts falls to 11-10 on the year with its loss.
Northwestern starter Meghan Lamberth (Wildwood, Mo./Lafayette) was stellar at the start, throwing nine strikes and 10 total pitches in the top of the first to set the Minutewomen side down in order.
The Wildcats then opened the scoring in the bottom half of the inning. With one out, Mari Majam (Pine Valley, Calif./Mountain Empire) drew a walk and took second base on a wild pitch. Senior Adrienne Monka (Rancho Cucamonga, Calif./Rancho Cucamonga) then drove her in with a deep double to left that one-hopped the fence and gave NU a 1-0 advantage.
Massachusetts tied the game immediately in the top of the second, taking advantage of two Northwestern errors to start the frame to plate the tying run on a sacrifice fly.
In the bottom of the second, both Paige Tonz (Peoria, Ariz./Centennial) and Kristin Scharkey (Yorba Linda, Calif./Esperanza) reached base via walks before an error allowed Emily Allard (Antioch, Calif./Deer Valley) to load the bases. The inning ended, however, when a wild pitch bounced perfectly off a backstop pole and back to the catcher, allowing her to lunge and tag Tonz trying to score on the overthrow.
After a scoreless top of the third for UMass ended when Scharkey made a nice grab of a line drive to center, Monka led off the bottom of the third with a rocket home run to deep left to give Northwestern a 2-1 lead. The shot was her fifth of the season and the 46th of her career.
After Monka's home run, the Minutewomen starter walked the bases loaded with one out via free passes to Marisa Bast (Orange, Calif./Villa Park), Amy Letourneau (Laguna Niguel, Calif./Santa Margarita Catholic) and Duehr. The next batter, Tonz, hit a grounder back up the middle that the shortstop kicked for an error, allowing Bast to score and everyone to be safe. UMass escaped further damage, however, helped especially when Allard's two-out rocket liner to right was gloved by a perfectly-positioned fielder to keep NU's edge at 3-1.
Massachusetts struck back in a hurry in the top of the fourth, taking a 4-3 lead on back-to-back doubles followed by a home run. Lamberth settled down and retired the next three batters in order to keep NU's deficit at a single run heading to the bottom of the fourth.
The Wildcats did not stay behind for long. Majam and Monka began the fourth with walks, the latter of which gave Monka the all-time record at Northwestern with 159. She gave way to pinch runner Amanda Mehrsheikh (Chesterfield, Mo./Parkway Central), then both Wildcats moved up a bag on a wild pitch. Bast joined her teammates on base via a walk, then Majam came in to score when an Anna Edwards (La Canada, Calif./La Canada) ball dropped in behind the shortstop, but an out still was made at third on the play.
With the game now tied, 4-4, Letourneau walked and then Duehr brought everybody home with a grand slam to dead center to put the Wildcats up by four, 8-4. The blast was Duehr's fourth home run of the year and her second grand slam.
Walks to Tonz and Scharkey followed, and UMass elected to make a pitching change. Allard greeted the new hurler with a single, driving home Tonz to push the advantage to 9-4. With two outs, the Minutewomen intentionally walked Monka, and Bast made them pay with a two-run single to center that made it an 11-4 game.
The eight-run frame was Northwestern's most runs in a single inning since also plating eight in the fourth frame against Ohio State on April 24, 2011.
Massachusetts got back-to-back-to-back two-out singles in the fifth to get one run back against Lamberth, sending the game to the bottom of the frame with an 11-5 score.
In the half inning, Letourneau led off with a single and gave way to pinch runner Andrea DiPrima (Arlington Heights, Ill./Buffalo Grove). Duehr then crushed her second home run of the game and fifth of the season, this one a walk-off job, to end the contest early, 13-5 (5).
Duehr recorded a career-best six RBIs with two runs during a 2-for-3 day at the plate. Monka was a perfect 2-for-2 with a double, home run, two RBIs and two walks. Majam scored two runs and Bast also crossed home twice while driving in two.
Lamberth (5-6) picked up the win in the circle, allowing five runs (four earned) on seven hits with no walks and three strikeouts.
Northwestern returns to action immediately against Hartford at the Eddie C. Moore Softball Complex as Spring Break 2012 continues.
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