May 23, 2008
TEMPE, Ariz. -- No. 11 Northwestern scored first, but No. 2 Arizona State came back with a trio of runs Friday afternoon to defeat the Wildcats, 3-1, in the first game of the NCAA Super Regional at Farrington Stadium in Tempe.
The loss drops Northwestern to 40-15 overall on the year and puts it a game down in the best 2-of-3 series. The Wildcats must defeat the Sun Devils (60-5) twice tomorrow to advance to the Women's College World Series, with the first game of the day beginning at 3 p.m. CT.
The win is the first for Arizona State over Northwestern since 2005 after the Wildcats won a pair of matchups against the Sun Devils last season. NU also dropped the first game of its 2006 Super Regional against Massachusetts before coming back to win games two and three.
Arizona State put the game's first runner in scoring position after a leadoff walk in the bottom of the second followed by a wild pitch, but NU starter Lauren Delaney (Jefferson City, Mo./Helias) worked her way out of the jam with a pop up to Tammy Williams (Roscoe, Mo./Osceola) at short before fanning the next two batters looking.
Northwestern's bottom of the order then stung ASU starter Katie Burkhart for the game's first run in the top of the third inning. Freshman Robin Thompson (Detroit, Mich./Martin Luther King) was hit by a pitch to lead off the frame, then she stole second base. The throw to second got away from the shortstop for an error, allowing Thompson to reach third on the play. Senior Darcy Sengewald (Frankfort, Ill./Lincoln-Way East) then crushed a single over the head of the left fielder to score Thompson and give NU a 1-0 lead.
Arizona State struck back in the bottom half of the inning. After a one-out single found its way back up in the middle, Pac-10 Player of the Year Kaitlin Cochran hit a full-count home run over the fence in left to give the Sun Devils a 2-1 advantage.
The Sun Devils added another run to their tally in the bottom of the fifth, but Delaney did well to limit the damage to just a single run and keep NU within two, 3-1. The first two batters in the inning reach on the walks -- the second an intentional pass to Cochran -- before advancing on a double steal. A sacrifice fly brought home one run before ASU loaded the bags on a hit by pitch and another walk. The next batter hit a grounder up the middle that Williams gloved and fired to junior Erin Dyer (Homer Glen, Ill./Lockport) at the plate for out number two before Delaney notched her eighth strikeout of the game to end the inning.
Northwestern was unable, however, to break through against Burkhart (35-5) in its final two turns at the bat.
Delaney (37-10) allowed three runs on three hits and five walks with nine strikeouts in the game.