April 23, 2003
Game 1 Box Score
Game 2 Box Score
CHICAGO, Ill. - Courtnay Foster (Tucson, Ariz./Sahuaro) was basically untouchable Wednesday-literally. The freshman pitcher continues to top herself, striking out a career-high 18 batters in the opening game of a doubleheader sweep of Loyola-Chicago. Foster struck out the first 10 batters she faced and allowed just one slap infield single in the sixth inning, as Northwestern defeated the Ramblers 1-0. NU also took the nightcap, 3-1, behind a three-hitter by Brie Brown (Nashville, Tenn./Harpeth Hall).
Foster was dominant in the opener, allowing Loyola to put just four balls in play. After fanning the first 10 batters, she retired Erin Cunningham on a drag bunt that first baseman Jamie Dotson (Santa Ana, Calif./Foothill) fielded unassisted for the out. She closed out the fouth inning by fanning Becky Marx.
Susan Scott opened the bottom of the fifth by fouling out to third baseman Kristen Amegin (W. Sacramento, Calif./Elk Grove). Foster followed with a strike out of Allison Scanlin for her 12th K of the game, before Natalie Martin broke up the perfect game with a walk on a 3-2 pitch that just missed the outside corner. However, Foster then got Keilah Williams swinging to end the inning.
The Ramblers finally got their first hit of the contest with one away in the sixth, as lefty Mia Pangere was able to leg out a slap bunt in the hole between third and short. But a slap attempt was popped up to Amegin at third and strikeout No. 15 got Foster and the 'Cats out of the frame.
Meanwhile, for all of Foster's mastery, the game remained a scoreless tie heading into the seventh. Robyn Pettinger (Hoffman Estates, Ill./Fremd) quicky put an end to that, though, leading off the inning by socking her fourth home run of the season over the fence in right-center, giving NU the only run it would need.
Foster struck out the side in the bottom half of the seventh inning to improve to 12-8 on the season. Her 18 K's marked the highest strikeout total by an NU pitcher since Lisa Ishikawa fanned 18 against DePaul on May 5, 1987. Ishikawa also holds the Wildcat record of 20 strikeouts in a game, a feat she accomplished twice during the 1986 season.
"I felt like I had great command of all of my pitches today," Foster said. "The most encouraging thing was that I had a real good command of my change-up. (Catcher) J.C. (Kira) did a great job of mixing it up."
As for pitching in colder weather than she's accustomed to, the Arizona native said that it is a factor that she's getting used to.
"I think that I've improved tremendously from the beginning of the season," she said. "We've had great senior leadership and it helps to be around people who have been through that before."
Pettinger led Northwestern with a 3-for-3 effort at the plate, recording her seventh double of the year in addition to the game-winning home run. Carri Leto (El Cajon, Calif./Valhalla) chipped in with two hits.
Strong pitching and the long ball were the key again in the nightcap. Cindy Muran (Newbury Park, Calif./Newbury Park) regained her team home run lead from Pettinger in the third inning, hitting her fifth of the season, a three-run shot that put NU ahead 3-0.
While not matching the strikeout total of Foster, Brown was almost equally as effective. She allowed just one unearned run in the bottom of the third inning while scattering three hits. She struck out six and walked three.
Muran and Dotson led the Wildcats with two hits apiece in Game Two.
Northwestern returns to Big Ten play this weekend when it travels to Iowa for games Friday and Saturday. The games are set to begin at 6 p.m. and noon, respectively. NUsports.com will carry live updated stats for both contests.