April 7, 2010
IOWA CITY, Iowa -- With a front containing ripping winds and blowing rain rolling through Pearl Field, Northwestern hit the ball hard against host Iowa in the first game of a scheduled doubleheader, but it was to no avail in a 9-1, six-inning, rain-soaked loss to the Big Ten-leading Hawkeyes.
The loss drops Northwestern to 16-14 overall on the year, 2-3 in the Big Ten. Iowa improves to 19-13-1 overall and a perfect 5-0 in the conference with its win. The second game of the scheduled doubleheader was canceled due to weather.
Freshman Emily Allard (Antioch, Calif./Deer Valley) began the game with a solid single into center field, but was called out for leaving first early on a steal attempt to empty the bags. Iowa starter Chelsea Lyon then issued back-to-back walks to Kristin Scharkey (Yorba Linda, Calif./Esperanza) and Nicole Pauly (Palatine, Ill./Palatine) to put runners at first and second before Michelle Batts (Bloomingdale, Ill./Glenbard North) crushed a pitch deep to the wall in dead center. The blast easily would have cleared the fence on a normal day, but the wind howling in from left across to right field at over 20 mph kept it playable, and the Hawkeye centerfielder pressed her body up against the barrier to reach up and grab it for the second out of what became a scoreless frame for the Wildcats.
The wind that tooketh away from Northwestern gaveth to Iowa in the bottom of the first. With one away and one runner on, an Iowa batter lifted a fly ball to right that got into the jet stream blowing across the outfield, carrying over the fence to give Iowa an early 2-0 lead.
Northwestern got singles from both Robin Thompson (Detroit, Mich./Martin Luther King) and Allard in the top of the third, but a caught stealing helped put a stop to any NU run-scoring in the inning. In the bottom of the third, Wildcat starter Lauren Delaney (Jefferson City, Mo./Helias) fanned her first batter of the game to give her 1,100 strikeouts in her career. She is the third Wildcat to reach that benchmark in program history; the K also placed her 100 shy of the NU school record of 1,200 held by Lisa Ishikawa (1984-87). That strikeout launched Delaney to a 1-2-3 inning in the circle.
The Wildcats continued to hit the ball very hard off Lyon in the fourth but to no avail. Adrienne Monka (Rancho Cucamonga, Calif./Rancho Cucamonga) fell victim to the wind with a deep drive to left center in the frame. Later on, with two runners on base and two out, Jordan Wheeler (Garden Grove, Calif./Los Alamitos) smashed a one-hopper, but right at the shortstop who gloved it to end the inning.
Iowa pushed its lead to five in the fourth inning. After a two-out infield single, a Northwestern error allowed one run to come across before the next Hawkeye stroked a double between fielders in left center to make the score 5-0.
In the top of the fifth, things became interesting. With two outs, Scharkey was ruled safe at first after a bobble by the fielder at the bag, but the umpires later reversed their call. A lengthy discussion with both coaches, the umpire crew and, eventually, the rule book, led to a second reversal, allowing Scharkey to stay at first on the error and the inning to continue. Pauly made the most of the second chance, lacing a double to the wall in center to plate Scharkey and make it 5-1. The hit chased Iowa starter Lyon from the circle in favor of Amanda Zust, who ended the inning.
As conditions continued to deteriorate, Iowa got that run back on a bases-loaded, two-out wild pitch in the bottom of the fifth. In the sixth, the Hawkeyes led 8-1 after bunt singles preceded a variety of weather-induced wild pitches and passed balls before the game was delayed 23 minutes with no outs and a runner on first. After the delay, junior Jessica Smith (Encinitas, Calif./La Costa Canyon) replaced Delaney in the circle and struck out the first batter she faced, but a double late in the inning plated the game-ending run.
Allard led NU at the plate with her seventh multi-hit effort in her last eight games. Delaney (8-10) pitched 5.0-plus innings, allowing eight runs (four earned) on eight hits and six walks with two strikeouts.