Feb. 12, 2010
TEMPE, Ariz. -- Senior Lauren Delaney (Jefferson City, Mo./Helias) opened her 2010 season in scintillating fashion Friday at the Kajikawa Classic, throwing the seventh no-hitter of her career to lead Northwestern past Cal State Fullerton, 7-0.
The win improves Northwestern to 2-0 on the season while Cal State Fullerton falls to 0-2 with its loss.
Delaney's no-hitter was the seventh of her career and her first since throwing five in 2008. She has thrown the second-highest total of Northwestern's 43 program no-hitters, ranking behind Lisa Ishikawa's total of 14.
Delaney allowed six base runners in the game via four walks and two hit batters while fanning 10. She threw 121 pitches.
Northwestern began the game's scoring in the top of the second inning. With one out, Emily Haug (Jefferson City, Mo./Helias) drew a four-pitch walk before senior Kelly Dyer (Homer Glen, Ill./Lockport) went opposite field on a Krystal Heinle offering, depositing it just over the fence for her first home run of the year and a 2-0 NU lead. The blast was the 19th of Dyer's career, tying her with teammate Adrienne Monka (Rancho Cucamonga, Calif./Rancho Cucamonga) for eighth on the Wildcats' career list.
In the top of the third, junior Robin Thompson (Detroit, Mich./Martin Luther King) drew a leadoff walk before moving to second when Emily Allard (Antioch, Calif./Deer Valley) beat out a sacrifice bunt attempt for her second base hit of the game, but that rally would die on the vine.
Meanwhile, Delaney's first start of the season was cruising right along. The 2010 USA Softball Player of the Year watch list member fanned six through the first four innings of play while not allowing a base hit.
Senior Aly Euler (River Forest, Ill./Oak Park River Forest) came off the bench to lead off the fifth inning, battling through a 12-pitch at bat before beating out a grounder to short for the second hit of her career in just her fifth-career at bat. A strike-em-out-throw-em-out double play emptied the bases, but Allard got herself on base with two down on her third infield hit of the game.
Senior Nicole Pauly (Palatine, Ill./Palatine) then doubled the Northwestern lead, 4-0, with a line shot over the fence in left center for her first home run of the year and the 41st of her career.
Delaney got defensive help in the bottom of the fifth when Pauly snared a hard line drive to second and Dyer tracked down a fly ball near the fence in center. Delaney then fanned the final batter of the fifth to keep her no-no intact.
Michelle Batts (Bloomingdale, Ill./Glenbard North) added to the Wildcats' advantage with the squad's third home run of the game to lead off the sixth inning. The solo blast made it 5-0.
A perfect sixth inning ushered Delaney's no-hitter into the seventh, which began with a pitching change for Fullerton. Aly Fascetti took over for Heinle (0-1) in the circle for the Titans, surrendering two more runs to the Wildcats when Batts clobbered her second home run of the game, third of the day and the 23rd of her career. It was NU's fourth homer of the contest.
Delaney hit the first batter to the plate in the bottom of the seventh before getting a lazy liner to Allard at short for the first out. A walk then put two runners on before Delaney's ninth and 10th strikeouts ended the game.
Allard was 3-for-4 in the game while Batts went 2-for-4 with three RBIs and two runs scored. Dyer knocked in a pair and Pauly both drove in two and scored twice.
Northwestern returns to action at 12:30 p.m. CT tomorrow, Saturday, Feb. 13, against No. 6 Arizona at Farrington Stadium on the Arizona State campus.