Feb. 6, 2009
TEMPE, Ariz. -- No. 23 Nevada and No. 9 Northwestern played a classic top-25 pitcher's duel Friday night at the Kajikawa Classic at the Tempe Sports Complex, with the Wolfpack outlasting the Wildcats during international tiebreak play in 11 innings, 2-1.
The loss drops Northwestern to 1-1 on the season, while Nevada moves to 2-0 on the year.
The game was a great pitcher's duel between Northwestern starter Lauren Delaney (Jefferson City, Mo./Helias) and Nevada's Katie Holverson. Both hurlers allowed just one base knock through the first four innings, although Delaney worked her way out of a couple of jams, including in the third when a pair of runners reached on a single and a walk.
Delaney settled down from that inning to whiff the side in the fourth, giving her six strikeouts in the game. The Wolfpack struck back in the bottom of the fifth, loading the bases with no outs on a leadoff single and a pair of walks. The next batter flied out to center deep enough to score the runner at third, but Kelly Dyer (Homer Glen, Ill./Lockport) fired a strike to third to nail the trail runner trying to move up for a double play. Delaney then fanned the next batter to end the inning with the Wildcats trailing, 1-0.
If the SportsCenter theory about leading off immediately after making a great defensive play is actually true, Dyer did her best to prove it in the top of the sixth. After eliminating a tagging runner at third for out number two in the previous half inning, Dyer stepped to the plate and clubbed a full-count home run over the fence in center to knot the game, 1-1. The blast was NU's first of the season and the ninth of her career.
The game remained tied heading into the bottom of the seventh, when Nevada's first batter reached on a walk. One pitch later, senior catcher Erin Dyer (Homer Glen, Ill./Lockport) gunned down the pinch runner attempting to take second. Delaney then snagged a soft liner back at her before fanning the final batter to force extra innings.
In the top of the eighth, Kelly Quinn (Northbrook, Ill./Glenbrook North) entered the game as a pinch runner and started on second base as part of international tiebreak rules. Erin Dyer (Homer Glen, Ill./Lockport) drew a one-out walk to give the Wildcats another base runner, but no 'Cats crossed the plate.
In the Nevada half of the inning, the Wildcats issued an intentional pass to the first batter to bring the force into play with runners at first and second. Delaney then coaxed a lazy fly to left, fanned the next batter and got a foul out to Robin Thompson (Detroit, Mich./Martin Luther King) at third to send the game to the ninth.
Ashley Lafever (Bettendorf, Iowa/Pleasant Valley) was NU's runner on second to start the ninth, moving to third when Jordan Wheeler's (Garden Grove, Calif./Los Alamitos) sacrifice bunt was mishandled for an error. An intentional walk to Tammy Williams (Roscoe, Mo./Osceola) loaded the bases. Nicole Pauly (Palatine, Ill./Palatine) then laid down a great squeeze bunt, but Nevada made an even better play when the third baseman performed a perfect glove scoop to home to force out the runner for out number two. A strikeout ended the threat for the 'Cats.
Delaney did not allow the Wolfpack runner to leave second in the bottom of the inning, getting a fly out to Pauly in shallow right before issuing strikeouts to the next two batters.
Northwestern got a runner to third with two outs in the top of the 10th, but again a K ended the inning. Nevada sacrificed its runner to third with the first batter of the bottom of the stanza before Delaney got a pop up to Williams at short and snagged a sharp grounder back to herself to end the inning.
NU got its runner to third with two outs in the top of the 11th before Nevada intentionally walked Williams for the second time in extra innings. Pauly followed with a soft liner that the shortstop gloved after moving in and to her left.
With one out and a runner still at second in the 11th, Nevada singled into left field, but Wheeler threw a laser beam to the plate to eliminate the runner for out number two. The outfield assist was the seventh of the sophomore's career. The Nevada batter moved to second on the throw home, then to third on a wild pitch before coming home on a single through the left side.
Delaney took the loss to move to 1-1 on the season, allowing two runs (one earned) on four hits and eight walks with 14 strikeouts. The outing was the second longest of her career after a 14-inning marathon win at Penn State in 2008.
Northwestern returns to action at 11 a.m. CT tomorrow, Saturday, Feb. 7, against No. 7 Arizona. The Wildcats then take on Kansas at 5 p.m. CT later Saturday afternoon.