Feb. 11, 2009
Northwestern's Louisville Slugger Desert Classic Notes (PDF Format) 
EVANSTON, Ill. -- After a one-year hiatus from the Louisville Slugger Desert Classic hosted by UNLV, Northwestern is making its return to Las Vegas' premier college softball tournament for five games this weekend, Feb. 13-15.
The Wildcats last played in Las Vegas in 2007, compiling a 4-1 record including a run-rule victory over a then-ranked California squad during the same weekend the NBA All-Star Game was in town. Northwestern has an 8-2 record at the tournament in its two visits in the last three seasons.
Northwestern enters the Desert Classic with a 2-2 mark thus far in 2009. The Wildcats defeated then-No. 7 Arizona and Cal State Bakersfield while dropping an 11-inning affair to then-No. 23 Nevada and a one-run contest to Kansas at the Kajikawa Classic last weekend. A game against Oklahoma State was rained out on getaway day.
Northwestern's defense came to play at the Kajikawa Classic, adjusting to its first outdoor competition just fine. The Wildcats committed just a single error in four games and 32 innings of play, marking the first time since the Florida Atlantic Worth Invitational Feb. 11-13, 2005, that the 'Cats made only one error during an entire non-conference tournament.
The Wildcats will face their third ranked opponent of the young season Friday night with a tilt against No. 4 UCLA at Eller Media Stadium on UNLV's campus. All four of Northwestern's other contests will be played at Stephanie Lynn Craig Park in Henderson, Nev.
Junior pitcher Lauren Delaney (Jefferson City, Mo./Helias) threw the lion's share of Northwestern's innings in the first tournament of the season. Delaney racked up 27 strikeouts -- including 14 in NU's 11-inning loss to Nevada -- while also picking up the complete game victory over No. 7 Arizona. Also seeing time in the circle during the first weekend was junior Kelly Dyer (Homer Glen, Ill./Lockport), who pitched well in the first extended outing of her collegiate career, going 3.0 innings in relief to earn a save against Cal State Bakersfield on Feb. 6.
Kelly and her sister, Erin Dyer (Homer Glen, Ill./Lockport), both clubbed a pair of home runs for the 'Cats at the Kajikawa, with Kelly's each tying a game after an opponent had taken a one-run lead. Erin's two blasts both came against Kansas, with the second tying the game in the fifth inning. Tammy Williams (Roscoe, Mo./Osceola), who leads NU right now with a .385 batting average, hit a team-best .529 at the 2007 Louisville Slugger Desert Classic with a double, triple and two home runs.
For Northwestern's complete Louisville Slugger Desert Classic notes package, download the .pdf linked at the top of this page.