Feb. 1, 2003
Sam Houston State Box Score
Florida Atlantic Box Score
TAMPA, Fla. - Robyn Pettinger (Hoffman Estates, Ill./Fremd) was a one-person wrecking crew Saturday night. The senior ripped a pair of home runs and drove in four as the Northwestern softball team improved to 3-1 on the season with a 5-3 victory over Florida Atlantic. The win came on the heels of a 9-1 five-inning victory over Sam Houston State Saturday morning.
Pettinger smacked two-run home runs in the third and fifth innings and pitcher Courtnay Foster (Tucson, Ariz./Sahuaro) allowed just one unearned run while striking out seven in five innings of work against FAU.
Cindy Muran (Newbury Park, Calif./Newbury Park), who drove in the Wildcats' first run, and J.C. Kira (Honolulu, Hawaii/Saint Francis) each went 2-for-3 at the plate for Northwestern.
The Lady Owls got on the board first with a run in the top of the first inning, but the 'Cats answered on Muran's run-scoring single.
Foster gave way to Lauren Schwendimann (Tustin, Calif./Foothill) after facing two batters in the sixth inning. FAU reached the NU senior for a pair of runs in the top of the seventh inning, but it wasn't enough. Foster and Schwendimann combined to strikout 11 Lady Owls.
The Wildcats had 10 hits in the contest, compared to five for Florida Atlantic.
In the opening game of the day, Brie Brown (Nashville, Tenn./Harpeth Hall) went 2-for-3 with three RBI at the plate and allowed just one run over five innings on the mound to lead the Wildcats.
Northwestern capitalized on seven Bearkat errors in a game that was shorten by the mercy rule.
NU took advantage of three SHSU miscues in the top of the first inning to jump out to an early 2-0 lead. The Wildcats picked up their first run of the game when Carri Leto (El Cajon, Calif./Valhalla) stole second base. A throwing error by the catcher on the play allowed Erin Mobley (Santa Ana, Calif./Foothill) to score from third. Leto advanced to third on the errant throw and later scored on bunt by Muran.
Northwestern extended its lead with three more runs in the third inning. Jamie Dotson (Santa Ana, Calif./Foothill) doubled home a run. Kristen Amegin (W. Sacramento, Calif./Elk Grove) brought home Dotson with an RBI single and later scored on a base hit by Brown.
After Dotson recorded her second RBI of the game on a groundout in the fourth inning, the 'Cats completed their scoring by tallying three times in the fifth. The first two runners reached base and Brown followed with a two-RBI single. Pinch runner Sheila McCorkle (Costa Mesa, Calif./Mater Dei) completed NU's scoring when she was driven in on a hit by Brett Nakabayashi (Irvine, Calif./Irvine).
Sam Houston State avoided the shutout when it touched Brown for a single tally in the bottom of the fifth on a sacrifice fly.
The Wildcats wrap up play at the Louisville Slugger Invitational at 11 a.m. Eastern time Sunday when it takes on second-ranked and defending national runner-up Arizona.