May 8, 2010
Box Score
Site: Evanston, Ill. (Sharon J. Drysdale Field)
Score: Wisconsin 10, Northwestern 7 (8)
Records: NU (24-21, 9-6 Big Ten), Wisconsin (19-28, 4-10 Big Ten)
Next NU Event: May 9, 2010 -- vs. Wisconsin (Sharon J. Drysdale Field), 1 p.m. CT
EVANSTON, Ill. -- Northwestern built a five-run lead Saturday against Wisconsin at Sharon J. Drysdale Field, but the Badgers staged a big comeback before winning in extra innings, 10-7 (8).
Northwestern falls to 24-21 on the year with its loss, 9-6 in the Big Ten. Wisconsin is 19-28 on the season, 4-10 in the conference with its win.
Wisconsin opened the scoring in the top of the first against Northwestern starter Jessica Smith (Encinitas, Calif./Los Alamitos) after following a two-out walk with a two-run home run to take a 2-0 lead.
In the bottom half of the first, Jordan Wheeler (Garden Grove, Calif./Los Alamitos) drew a four-pitch, one-out walk to get Northwestern's offense started. She moved to second when Wisconsin starter Letty Olivarez hit Adrienne Monka (Rancho Cucamonga, Calif./Rancho Cucamonga) with a pitch. The Badgers then elected to walk reigning Big Ten Player of the Week Michelle Batts (Bloomingdale, Ill./Glenbard North) intentionally to load the bases. The strategy worked at first when Olivarez struck out the next Wildcat, but a four-pitch walk to Emily Haug (Jefferson City, Mo./Helias) forced in Wheeler to put NU on the board, 2-1, before a soft liner into left ended the frame.
Wheeler began the top of the second with a great diving catch of a dying liner in front of her in left field. Wisconsin then got runners to second and third on back-to-back singles, but Smith induced a pair of groundouts to keep the score 2-1.
Kristin Scharkey (Yorba Linda, Calif./Esperanza) led off the bottom half of the second with a bunt single, moving to second on a successful sacrifice from Robin Thompson (Detroit, Mich./Martin Luther King) and third after an Emily Allard (Antioch, Calif./Deer Valley) productive groundout. Wheeler collected the two-out RBI with a scorcher back up the middle, knotting the game, 2-2, on the single. The inning continued with a walk to Monka before Wisconsin again loaded the bases with an intentional pass to Batts. Olivarez then battled Nicole Pauly (Palatine, Ill./Palatine) through an Ironman Triathlon-length at-bat with Pauly hitting several foul-ball home runs, but the Wildcat eventually succumbed to strikes on the 16th pitch from Olivarez to end the inning.
In the circle for NU, Smith turned things up a notch, setting down eight Badgers in a row through the third and fourth innings. In the bottom of the fourth, Wheeler reached base on a leadoff double for NU when a high fly ball to left got caught in the heavy wind and blown away from the fielders, landing just inside the line for a hit. Monka reached base for the third time in the game with her second walk, then Wisconsin elected to load the bases for the third time with an intentional base on balls to Batts. Aly Euler (River Forest, Ill./Oak Park River Forest) pinch ran for Monka and Kelly Quinn (Northbrook, Ill./Glenbrook North) ran for Batts during the sequence.
This time, the strategy unraveled on the Badgers. Pauly drove in a run when she was hit by a pitch, then an RBI groundout by Haug pushed Northwestern out in front by a pair, 4-2. The bases became loaded again when Kelly Dyer (Homer Glen, Ill./Lockport) drew a walk, and that spelled the end of Olivarez's day. She was replaced by Meghan McIntosh, who promptly drilled Scharkey and Thompson with pitches to make the NU lead four, 6-2. Wheeler added another run on a single into left, but Wisconsin threw out a trail runner to end the inning with the Wildcats' lead at five, 7-2.
Wisconsin's first two batters to the plate in the fifth reached base, prompting NU head coach Kate Drohan to insert Lauren Delaney (Jefferson City, Mo./Helias) into the circle in relief of Smith. Wisconsin was able to get to the senior, tying the game, 7-7, before Meghan Lamberth (Wildwood, Mo./Lafayette) entered in relief with no outs and runners at second and third. Lamberth quickly struck out two Badgers looking, then Pauly turned in one of the defensive plays of the year. Wisconsin crushed a line drive destined for right field when Pauly entered, stage right, laying out to glove the ball seemingly out of nowhere before rising to her feet and firing to first to keep the game tied, 7-7.
Northwestern was unable to score in the bottom of the fifth, but Lamberth had a quick 1-2-3 top half of the sixth to continue her strong work in the circle. In the bottom of the sixth, Scharkey was hit by a pitch to lead off the inning, prompting Wisconsin to re-enter Olivarez into the circle. She was able to end the frame with no NU runs across.
With rain clouds that on radar resembled the famous church pew bunkers at Oakmont approaching, Lamberth again did not allow a hit in the top of the seventh. Northwestern got Batts (her fourth intentional walk of the game) and Pauly (hit by pitch) on base in the bottom of the seventh, but no runs were forthcoming to send the game into extras.
The second wave of that rain pattern hit in the top of the eighth. Lamberth retired the first batter and appeared to set down the second, but an illegal pitch was called when Lamberth made a move to keep the ball dry prior to the delivery. The Badger at the plate turned her new life into a base hit on the next pitch. An infield single then put a pair of Badgers on base before Lamberth got a huge strikeout for what should have ended the inning. It did not, however, and the next batter to the plate hit a home run to put Wisconsin up 10-7.
Northwestern was unable to put together a rally in its half of the eighth, ending the game.
Smith went 4.0-plus innings in the game, allowing four runs (three earned) on four hits and two walks with three strikeouts. After Delaney faced five batters, Lamberth (4-3) came in and pitched very well on the whole. She was saddled with the loss, giving up three runs on four hits and one walk with six strikeouts.
At the plate, Wheeler led NU with a 3-for-4 day, driving in two and scoring twice. Haug also had a pair of RBIs. Monka and Batts both did not collect a hit, but reached base four times.
Northwestern returns to action at 1 p.m. CT Saturday, May 8, against Wisconsin at 1 p.m. The game is Senior Day at Sharon J. Drysdale Field, with ceremonies beginning prior to the first pitch.
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