April 3, 2004
IOWA CITY, Iowa -- After taking the first lead of the game for the second consecutive time against Iowa, the wheels fell off again for Northwestern in a 6-1 loss Saturday in Iowa City, Iowa.
Down 1-0 in the fourth inning, the Hawkeyes (20-15, 2-0) erupted for five of their nine hits and four runs off Northwestern starter Courtnay Foster (7-8) and Eileen Canney in the frame. In Friday's game, NU held a 2-0 advantage before Iowa scored seven runs in the final three innings in a 7-2 win for the Hawkeyes.
Northwestern again took the early lead in the game with a run in the third inning.
A walk to Sheila McCorkle and back-to-back singles to center by Carri Leto and Erin Mobley loaded the bases in the bottom of the third for NU. Freshman DP Garland Cooper then hit a deep sacrifice fly to center to score McCorkle and give the Wildcats (15-10, 0-2) the lead, 1-0.
Cooper leads Northwestern with 18 RBIs on the season. Leto finished with two of NU's six hits.
Iowa came out swinging in the fourth. Foster surrendered a weak single to second and a walk to start the inning and then was lifted for Canney. Three more singles and a double later, the Hawkeyes had a 4-1 advantage after the frame.
The Hawkeyes added two more runs in the final inning off a pair of hits and a Wildcat error. Lisa Birocci (9-8) earned the win for Iowa with a complete game performance.
Northwestern returns to action at noon tomorrow in Champaign, Ill., for a double-header with Illinois.