Northwestern University Athletics
Northwestern
25-27, 12-10
Illinois
27-24, 10-12
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | Runs R | Hits H | Errors E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Illinois | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 2 |
| Northwestern | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | X | 3 | 6 | 0 |
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Letourneau, Amy (11-9)
L: Gay, Pepper (22-14)
Batting:
HR: Davis, Jessica 1 ; Perkins, Jess 1
RBI: Davis, Jessica 1 ; Perkins, Jess 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Davis, Jessica 1 ; Perkins, Jess 1
HBP: Hackett, Meredith 1 ; Guy, Jackie 1
Batting:
2B: Allard, Emily 1 ; Monka, Adrienne 1
HR: Edwards, Anna 1
RBI: Allard, Emily 1 ; Monka, Adrienne 1 ; Edwards, Anna 1
SH: Allard, Emily 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Edwards, Anna 1 ; Scharkey, Kristin 2
SB: Scharkey, Kristin 1
CS: Allard, Emily 1 ; Majam, Mari 1 ; Ackerman, Lauren 1
HBP: Bast, Marisa 1
Game Leaders
Players Mentioned
Northwestern Holds Off Illinois, 3-2
5/11/2012 12:00:00 AM | Softball
Northwestern improves to 25-27 overall on the season with the win, 12-10 in the conference. Illinois now is 27-24 overall, 10-12 in the Big Ten with its loss. The Wildcats and Illini return to the field immediately for game two of Friday's Big Ten doubleheader.
Illinois got on the board first Friday afternoon with a one-out solo home run against Northwestern starter Amy Letourneau (Laguna Niguel, Calif./Santa Margarita Catholic) in the top of the first inning. Though the Illini would then load the bases in the frame, Letourneau got all three outs via the K to keep the deficit at 1-0 headed to NU's first at-bats of the game.
Letourneau had a much faster top of the second, going 1-2-3 against the Illini order with just nine pitches and her fourth strikeout of the game. The score remained the same in the bottom of the third when junior Kristin Scharkey (Yorba Linda, Calif./Esperanza) beat out an infield single to the left side and stole second with one out. Classmate Emily Allard (Antioch, Calif./Deer Valley) then slammed a ball down the right-field line that got under the first baseman's lunging glove, resulting in a pure hustle double for Allard and a tie game when Scharkey scored.
Sophomore Marisa Bast (Orange, Calif./Villa Park) aided in a scoreless Illinois fourth, stranding a two-out walk with a tremendous charge-scoop-and-throw in stride from third to end the inning. Illinois ended NU's half of the fourth in similarly impressive fashion, putting out Olivia Duehr (Antioch, Ill./Antioch) at second base after a single to right. Duehr's Texas-leaguer fell in between the second baseman and right fielder, but the second baseman was able to crawl to the ball and throw out Duehr at second while seated on the outfield grass.
Illinois re-took the lead in the top of the fifth with a two-out, 0-2 solo home run to go up 2-1. Freshman Anna Edwards (La Canada, Calif./La Canada) responded immediately on Senior Weekend, driving a towering solo home run over the fence in left to tie the game once again, 2-2. The shot was Edwards' fifth of the season.
On the very next pitch, Scharkey ended up on second when the opposing pitcher took Scharkey's grounder and fired it directly into the ground for a two-base error. Allard moved Scharkey up with a slap-rifice behind the runner before, with two outs, senior Adrienne Monka (Rancho Cucamonga, Calif./Rancho Cucamonga) lit a bottle rocket of a double to the fence in center to put the Wildcats on top, 3-2. Bast made a bid to make it a bigger lead, but her drive to left was tracked down just short of the fence to send the game to the sixth inning.
The score remained the same with Letourneau closing the door in the top of the seventh on a backwards strikeout and two well-struck grounders to Bast at third. Letourneau (11-9) went the distance, allowing two runs on three hits and four walks with six strikeouts.
Scharkey reached base twice, scoring both times and stealing a bag to lead NU at the plate.
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