Feb. 26, 2005
CATHEDRAL CITY, Calif. -- After jumping on top early in its first game of Saturday's action at the Palm Springs Classic, Northwestern could not break through offensively in the nightcap, falling to Arizona State, 1-0.
The game was quick to turn into pitchers' duel between NU junior Courtnay Foster (Tucson, Ariz./Sahuaro) and Arizona State's Katie Burkhart.
Through four scoreless innings, Foster had struck out seven batters while allowing just a single hit. Burkhart had whiffed nine and given up a pair of hits.
Foster struck out eight batters in the game, at one point retiring ten in a row. After allowing the first two ASU runners to reach second and third base in the second, Foster recorded a pair of whiffs and coaxed a line out to come out of the inning with a clean slate.
ASU (10-2) broke the deadlock in the fifth inning when Sharee Zaleski hit a one-out solo home run to centerfield.
Trailing 1-0 in the bottom of the sixth, Northwestern mounted a charge. Freshman Stephanie Churchwell (Lake Forest, Calif./El Toro) reached on a error by the shortstop. Senior Erin Mobley (Santa Ana, Calif./Foothill) then hit a fly ball to left center that fell for a base hit, putting runners on first and second, but Burkhart struck out the next two Wildcats to snuff out the rally.
Again in the seventh, the Wildcats began a one-out rally. Junior Sheila McCorkle (Costa Mesa, Calif./Mater Dei) laced a single through the hole but NU was unable to advance her.
Junior Kristen Amegin (W. Sacramento, Calif./Elk Grove) and Churchwell both had singles to account for NU's other two hits in the game.
Burkhart (3-1) picked up the win for the Sun Devils while Foster fell to 5-2. Foster gave up just three hits in the game.
With the loss Northwestern falls to 3-1 at the Palm Springs Classic, 10-4 overall. The Wildcats return to action at 1 p.m. CT Sunday against No. 20 Pacific.