May 11, 2000
IOWA CITY, IOWA - Northwestern (27-23) had opportunities but could not dent the scoreboard, dropping a hard-fought 2-0 decision to top-seeded Iowa (43-12) in the second round of the Big Ten Tournament in Iowa City.
The Wildcats left eight runners on base and had several quality chances but struggled to get clutch hits. NU put runners on first and second with two outs in the first but could not score. Iowa took advantage in its half of the inning, getting a RBI-double from Alicia Gerlach to take a 1-0 lead.
Northwestern had another golden opportunity in the third as Brett Nakabayashi (Irvine, Calif./Irvine) singled up the middle and Mikie Chambers (Country Club Hills, Ill./Hillcrest) followed with a walk. However, a fly out and two strikeouts ended the threat. Iowa added another run in the fourth and managed to hang on for the victory.
Northwestern, which is now 1-1 in the double-elimination tournament, will face sixth-seeded Purdue Friday afternoon at 2:30 p.m.