Feb. 21, 2010
HENDERSON, Nev. -- No. 21 Northwestern drew seven walks in the game and hung six runs on Utah in the third inning Sunday morning at the Louisville Slugger Desert Classic, eventually defeating the Utes in run-rule fashion, 10-2 (5).
Northwestern evens its record on the year at 5-5 with its win. Utah now is 7-3 overall with its loss.
Utah pushed across a couple of unearned runs in the top of the first inning. After the leadoff Ute reached, a Northwestern error on a sacrifice attempt put runners at second and third with no outs. Wildcat starter Lauren Delaney (Jefferson City, Mo./Helias) struck out the next batter, but both runners would come home to score via a wild pitch and sacrifice fly.
Adrienne Monka (Rancho Cucamonga, Calif./Rancho Cucamonga) got one of the runs back quickly in the bottom half of the first frame with a solo home run to left, her fourth blast of the season and the 23rd of her career.
In the bottom of the third, Northwestern sent 12 batters to the plate and scored six runs with the help of six bases on balls. Jordan Wheeler (Garden Grove, Calif./Los Alamitos) struck out to lead off the inning, but reached first on a wild pitch. She then moved to second on a great infield single by senior Aly Euler (River Forest, Ill./Oak Park River Forest). Robin Thompson (Detroit, Mich./Martin Luther King) successfully pushed both runners up a bag with a sacrifice bunt.
A second out later, both Wheeler and Euler scored on a wild pitch during a Monka at-bat. Wheeler sprinted home on the initial wildness, then a throwing error on the catcher allowed Euler to scamper home as well and put NU on top, 3-2.
Monka would walk, as would Michelle Batts (Bloomingdale, Ill./Glenbard North) behind her. Emily Haug (Jefferson City, Mo./Helias) then punished a pitch into the gap in left center for a Monka-scoring double, pushing Batts to third. Back-to-back walks to Nicole Pauly (Palatine, Ill./Palatine) and Kelly Dyer (Homer Glen, Ill./Lockport) forced in another run to make NU's lead three, 5-2.
At that point, Utah replaced starter Brittany Parker with Joni Cook, who issued walks to pinch hitter Olivia Zolke (Manhattan Beach, Calif./Mira Costa) and Euler to force in two more Wildcat runs and make it 7-2 before Utah finally got out of the inning.
In the bottom of the fourth, Monka drew a walk, then was replaced by pinch runner Kelly Quinn (Northbrook, Ill./Glenbrook North). A fielder's choice grounder from Batts eliminated her at second before Batts moved to second on a walk drawn by Haug. Megan Lilley (North Canton, Ohio/Hoover) then ran for Batts. Pauly followed with a three-run jack to right field to push the game into run-rule territory, 10-2. The blast was Pauly's second of the year and the 42nd of her career.
Delaney (2-3) then came out to complete her one-hitter in the top of the fifth. She allowed two unearned runs on one hit and three walks with eight strikeouts.
Monka, Haug and Pauly all scored twice in the game for the Wildcats while Pauly drove in three.
Northwestern returns to action next weekend, Feb. 26-28, at the Cathedral City Classic (formerly the Palm Springs Classic) in Cathedral City, Calif.