Feb. 20, 2009
CATHEDRAL CITY, Calif. -- No. 12 Northwestern lit up No. 3 Arizona State for four runs in the first inning Friday afternoon at the Cathedral City Classic, but the Sun Devils came back with five unearned runs in the third to escape the Wildcats, 5-4.
Northwestern falls to 7-4 overall on the year with the loss while Arizona State now is 12-2.
Northwestern jumped in front in a big way in the top of the first. Senior Tammy Williams (Roscoe, Mo./Osceola) led off with a base knock up the middle before moving to second on a Robin Thompson (Detroit, Mich./Martin Luther King) sacrifice bunt. Nicole Pauly (Palatine, Ill./Palatine) was hit by a pitch, then one out later Erin Dyer (Homer Glen, Ill./Lockport) dropped a single into left to plate Williams.
Freshman Adrienne Monka (Rancho Cucamonga, Calif./Rancho Cucamonga) then cleared the bases with her fifth home run of the year to stake Northwestern to a 4-0 lead.
The Sun Devils put runners on first and second with one out against Wildcats' starter Lauren Delaney (Jefferson City, Mo./Helias), but the junior induced a perfect 4-6-3 double play ball to end the inning. Delaney then fanned the side in the bottom of the second.
The Wildcats loaded the bases in the top of the third when Thompson was hit by a pitch, Pauly grounded into a fielder's choice, Dyer singled to third and Monka drew a four-pitch walk, but the rally ended with no runs across.
Arizona State put the first two batters to the plate in the bottom of the third aboard on errors before loading the bases on a walk. Two runs came in on a walk and a grounder before Delaney got a pop up to left for the second out. The next batter to the plate hit a three-run home run, however, to give the Sun Devils a 5-4 lead on five unearned runs.
In the top of the sixth, Monka drew a one-out walk before being replaced by pinch runner Aly Euler (River Forest, Ill./Oak Park River Forest). Kelly Dyer (Homer Glen, Ill./Lockport) followed by executing a perfect sacrifice bunt, but was ruled to have touched the ball as she ran to first base, causing the umpires to move Euler back to first. Pinch hitter Emily Haug (Jefferson City, Mo./Helias) then laced a double into the left-center gap, but Euler only was able to make it third on the laser. She was stranded there after a fly out.
Williams led off the seventh with a single into center, but was erased at second on a fielder's choice ball from Thompson. Thompson would advance no farther in the inning.
Delaney (6-4) took the hard-luck loss, surrendering five runs (none earned) on three hits and three walks with five strikeouts.
Williams and Dyer both had a pair of hits for NU while Monka drove in three.
Northwestern returns to action at noon CT tomorrow, Saturday, Feb. 21, against Long Island before facing No. 14 Fresno State at 2:30 p.m. CT.