March 8, 2009
OKLAHOMA CITY -- No. 16 Northwestern used three different outbursts of three runs or more in an inning to run-rule No. 8 Tennessee, 11-3 (6), Sunday morning, sweeping the series against the top-10 ranked Lady Vols at The Preview presented by Worth.
The win pushes the Wildcats to 12-7 overall on the season while Tennessee falls to 20-3. Northwestern defeated Tennessee Saturday on a seventh-inning walk-off grand slam by sophomore Michelle Batts (Bloomingdale, Ill./Glenbard North) to account for two of UT's three losses this year.
Senior Tammy Williams (Roscoe, Mo./Osceola) led off Sunday's game with a double into left center, then moved to third on a sacrifice bunt by Robin Thompson (Detroit, Mich./Martin Luther King). Tennessee starter Cat Hosfield was able to control the situation, however, and strand Williams at third to end the frame.
In the bottom of the first, Northwestern starter Lauren Delaney (Jefferson City, Mo./Helias) struck out the first two Lady Vols she saw, then got two strikes on the third before surrendering a solo home run. Delaney recovered to fan the next batter to end the inning, although Tennessee would add another solo shot in the bottom of the second.
Earlier Sunday morning (at 7:06 a.m. CT to be precise), a minor earthquake registering 3.6 on the Richter scale hit eastern Oklahoma City. In the top of the third inning, the Wildcats did their best to recreate the event. With one out, Williams launched a solo home run to center to make the score 2-1. Williams now has four homers on the season and 46 for her career.
Thompson followed with a base knock before freshman Adrienne Monka (Rancho Cucamonga, Calif./Rancho Cucamonga) crushed her first blast of the game to give Northwestern the lead, 3-2.
Tennessee put a runner on third with only one out in the bottom half of the third. Delaney coaxed a comebacker for out number two, then intentionally walked the next batter. The strategy paid off after the next Lady Vol to the plate watched three-consecutive strikes go by to end the frame.
If NU's third inning was a minor earthquake, the Wildcats' two-out rally in the fourth qualified as a major seismic event. Kelly Quinn (Northbrook, Ill./Glenbrook North) worked a full-count two-out walk before moving to second on a wild pitch. With first base now open, Tennessee intentionally walked Williams. Thompson then slapped a ball to third, but the throw got away from the first baseman to allow Quinn to score and Williams to move to third. Nicole Pauly (Palatine, Ill./Palatine) then beat out an infield single to plate Williams and make NU's lead three, 5-2.
Monka followed Pauly with her second blast of the game, a three-run shot to left that blew the game wide open for the Wildcats, 8-2. Monka's blast was her team-best eighth of the season. She has had two multi-home run games through the first 19 contests of her career, with the other coming versus then-No. 4 UCLA. The home run knocked Hosfield (15-3) from the circle in favor of Jessica Spigner, who ended the inning.
The Lady Vols added another run to their tally when a leadoff walk eventually came around to score on a single in the bottom of the fourth.
Tennessee placed Danielle Pieroni in the circle to start the top of the fifth. Kelly Dyer (Homer Glen, Ill./Lockport) led off with a single, but no NU runs came in the inning which also included Williams' second intentional walk of the game. In the bottom half of the frame, Delaney struck out the side for the second time to reach 11 Ks in the contest.
In the top of the sixth, Monka crushed a one-out single to center before being replaced by pinch runner Aly Euler (River Forest, Ill./Oak Park River Forest). Batts drew a walk to push Euler to second and give Tennessee cause to re-enter Hosfield into the circle. A wild pitch with Erin Dyer (Homer Glen, Ill./Lockport) at the plate moved both runners up a base, and also prompted Megan Lilley (North Canton, Ohio/Hoover) to pinch run for Batts at second. Hosfield then walked Dyer to load the bases with one out.
Kelly Dyer singled back through the middle to score Euler and make it 9-3. Pinch hitter Emily Haug (Jefferson City, Mo./Helias) followed with a grounder to first, but the throw home escaped the catcher to allow two more runs to score, pushing the game into run-rule territory, 11-3.
Monka finished 3-for-4 with a career-best five RBIs while Williams was 2-for-2 with two runs scored and three intentional passes. Thompson scored twice and Kelly Dyer collected two hits for the 'Cats.
One day after fanning 12 Lady Vols, Delaney (11-6) earned the win with 13 strikeouts, allowing three runs on three hits and four walks.