April 21, 2010
Box Score
Site: East Lansing, Mich. (Old College Field)
Score: Northwestern 9, Michigan State 0 (5)
Records: NU (20-18, 6-5 Big Ten), Michigan State (18-23, 4-8 Big Ten)
Next NU Event: April 22, 2010 -- vs. Loyola (Chicago) (Drysdale Field), 4 p.m. CT
EAST LANSING, Mich. -- Senior Nicole Pauly (Palatine, Ill./Palatine) hit the 49th and 50th home runs of her career Wednesday in the second game of a doubleheader at Michigan State, driving in four to lead Northwestern to a 9-0 (5) victory and a sweep of the Spartans.
Northwestern improves its record on the year to 20-18, 6-5 in the Big Ten with its win. Michigan State falls to 18-23 overall, 4-8 in the conference with its loss. Coupled with a 15-0 (5) victory in game one, the Wildcats topped the Spartans a combined 24-0 on Wednesday.
After opening the scoring of its 15-run onslaught in game one in the first inning, Northwestern did the same in game two. Kristin Scharkey (Yorba Linda, Calif./Esperanza) reached base on a one-out single in the top of the first against MSU starter Lauren Kramer, stole second and then trotted home one out later when Pauly crushed a two-run home run that one-hopped into the shrubbery lining the banks of the Red Cedar River in left-center field.
In the bottom of the second, Michigan State notched its first base runners of the game against Northwestern starter Lauren Delaney (Jefferson City, Mo./Helias) on a single and a walk. With those Spartans on second and third and two outs, Delaney got a little pop up to center that had Texas-leaguer written all over it, but Kelly Dyer (Homer Glen, Ill./Lockport) charged in and went into a slide to catch the ball just above the turf to end the inning.
In the top of the third, Scharkey again reached on a one-out single before coming home when Pauly hit her second home run of the game to nearly the identical spot where her first one entered the shrubbery. Not only was the blast her second of the game, it was her 10th of the year and the 50th of her career. She joins Tammy Williams (57) and Garland Cooper (55) as the third Wildcat in program history to reach the 50-home run plateau. Pauly also now has double-digit home runs in all four of her seasons in Evanston.
Michelle Batts (Bloomingdale, Ill./Glenbard North) followed Pauly with a double down the line in left, giving way to pinch runner Kelly Quinn (Northbrook, Ill./Glenbrook North). Quinn's journey home was quite leisurely after Emily Haug (Jefferson City, Mo./Helias) pounded a two-run home run to left to make the score 6-0 by the time the top of the third was finished. Haug now also has 10 home runs on the season, giving her 13 for her career.
After Northwestern popped its four-spot onto the board in the top of the third, Delaney recorded her second 1-2-3 inning of the game in the bottom half. Michigan State got a runner to second on a one-out double in the fourth, but Delaney fanned the next two Spartans to keep the home team scoreless in the contest.
In the top of the fifth, Pauly was given an unintentional, intentional walk with one out before Batts blasted a single through the right side, although Pauly was thrown out at third on the play. Haug then was hit by a pitch to put runners at first and second before Dyer crushed a double into the gap in right center to score both Batts and Haug and push the game into run-rule territory, 8-0. Dyer moved to third on the throw home, then scored herself when Jordan Wheeler (Garden Grove, Calif./Los Alamitos) singled through the right side of the infield to make it 9-0.
An error in the bottom of the fifth allowed one Spartan to reach base, but Delaney controlled the rally to close out the game. She went 5.0 innings and allowed two hits and one walk with five strikeouts to move to 10-12 overall on the year with the victory.
Scharkey, went 2-for-3 with two runs scored, Batts was 2-for-3, Dyer finished 2-for-2 with two RBIs and Haug both scored twice and knocked in a pair. Pauly concluded her game 2-for-2 with four RBIs and two runs scored.
"We played Northwestern softball today," head coach Kate Drohan said. "We got great production from our entire lineup and played physical defense to support our pitchers, who both threw very well."
Northwestern returns to action at 4 p.m. CT Thursday, April 22, against Loyola (Chicago) at Sharon J. Drysdale Field.
Be the first to know what's going on with the 'Cats -- Follow @NU_Sports on Twitter and become a fan of Northwestern Athletics on Facebook! Get the latest news, schedule updates, video and interact with NU. For more information on following specific Northwestern teams online, visit our Social Media page!