Feb. 15, 2008
TEMPE, Ariz. -- No. 6 Northwestern's season-opening game against No. 3 Texas A&M currently is suspended due to rain in the bottom of the fifth inning with the Wildcats on top, 8-4. The game will resume at 9 a.m. CT Sunday, Feb. 17, with no outs and three Aggies on base.
Northwestern's scheduled game Friday evening against Southern Utah has been canceled.
On Friday afternoon, Northwestern wasted little time getting its season started against Texas A&M and All-America hurler Amanda Scarborough. With one out in the top of the first, junior Tammy Williams (Roscoe, Mo./Osceola) ripped an infield single off Scarborough, then scampered to third when sophomore Nicole Pauly (Palatine, Ill./Palatine) single through the right side.
Pauly immediately stole second to put runners at second and third, then freshman Michelle Batts (Bloomingdale, Ill./Glenbard North) shot a single back up the middle in her first-career at bat to plate both Williams and Pauly and give NU an early 2-0 lead.
Texas A&M quickly evened the score in the bottom half of the first, getting a leadoff walk followed by a one-out home run to tie the game, 2-2.
In the top of the second, Northwestern took the lead back with one swing of the bat. Leading off the frame, sophomore Kelly Dyer (Homer Glen, Ill./Lockport) laced a solo home run over the fence in right to make the Wildcats' lead one, 3-2.
The Wildcats added more in the third frame. Williams led off the inning with an infield single to second, then stole second before moving to third on a passed ball. Pauly then singled over the glove of the Aggie shortstop to score Williams for a 4-2 NU advantage.
Scarborough then drilled Batts, and both runners moved up a bag on a productive groundout from Jessica Rigas (River Forest, Ill./Oak Park River Forest). After Pauly was erased on a fielder's choice grounder from Erin Dyer (Homer Glen, Ill./Lockport), a wild pitch allowed Batts to sprint home to extend NU's lead to three, 5-2.
Texas A&M again battled back with a two-run home run, this one in the bottom of third to cut Northwestern's lead back down to one, 5-4.
The 'Cats made it four-consecutive innings with a run scored in the top of the fourth. With two gone in the top half, senior Darcy Sengewald (Frankfort, Ill./Lincoln-Way East) lined a double into the right-center field gap, then Williams notched her third hit of the game with a sharp single to right allowing Sengewald to race around and score ahead of the throw to put the Wildcats back up two, 6-4.
And the hits kept coming. Or perhaps the Batts, as it were. Leading off the top of the fifth, the appropriately named NU freshman annihilated a pitch over the fence in left center. The blast knocked Scarborough from the game in favor of Rhiannon Kliesing. Scarborough gave up seven earned runs on nine hits in four-plus innings of work.
Later in the inning, Erin Dyer drew a four-pitch walk, then was replaced on the base paths by freshman Robin Thompson (Detroit, Mich./Martin Luther King), who immediately stole second. With two outs, freshman pinch hitter Kelly Quinn (Northbrook, Ill./Glenbrook North) punched a single up the middle to plate Thompson for an 8-4 NU lead.
With rain falling in the fifth as it had all game long and footing becoming treacherous, Northwestern sophomore Lauren Delaney (Jefferson City, Mo./Helias) walked two straight batters before hitting a third to load the bases. At that point, a rain delay was called and the game eventually was suspended until Sunday. Delaney currently has nine strikeouts through four innings.