May 9, 2010
Box Score
Senior Day Photo Gallery (Buy Photos!)
Site: Evanston, Ill. (Sharon J. Drysdale Field)
Score: Northwestern 11, Wisconsin 3 (6)
Records: NU (25-21, 10-6 Big Ten), Wisconsin (19-20, 4-11 Big Ten)
Next NU Event: May 14, 2010 -- at Ohio State, 3 p.m. CT (Big Ten Network)
EVANSTON, Ill. -- Northwestern did Senior Day in Senior-style Sunday at Sharon J. Drysdale Field, run-ruling Wisconsin, 11-3 (6), on the strength of four home runs -- all hit by members of the 2010 senior class.
Northwestern now is 25-21 overall on the year with its win, 10-6 in the conference. Wisconsin falls to 19-29 on the season, 4-11 in the Big Ten with its loss.
Senior Nicole Pauly (Palatine, Ill./Palatine) went 3-for-4 with a grand slam and a solo home run while classmate Kelly Dyer (Homer Glen, Ill./Lockport) added a two-run blast and senior Emily Haug (Jefferson City, Mo./Helias) ended the game with a three-run sixth-inning shot. Prior to the game, that triumvirate was honored along with classmates Lauren Delaney (Jefferson City, Mo./Helias) and Aly Euler (River Forest, Ill./Oak Park River Forest).
Northwestern starter Meghan Lamberth (Wildwood, Mo./Lafayette) made quick work of Wisconsin in the top of the first, setting the side down in order. Northwestern took considerably longer during its half of the frame, sending nine batters to the plate.
Emily Allard (Antioch, Calif./Deer Valley) got the Wildcats' offense off to a quick start with a leadoff single into center before moving to second on a sacrifice bunt from Jordan Wheeler (Garden Grove, Calif./Los Alamitos). As it did four times in Saturday's game, Wisconsin elected to intentionally walk reigning Big Ten Player of the Week Michelle Batts (Bloomingdale, Ill./Glenbard North) to put runners at first and second, then Badger starter Letty Olivarez unintentionally walked Adrienne Monka (Rancho Cucamonga, Calif./Rancho Cucamonga) to load the bases with one down.
Pauly followed Monka with a Senior Day-salvo, crushing a grand slam over the fence in center to stake the Wildcats to an early 4-0 lead. The inning continued when Dyer was hit by a pitch and Kristin Scharkey (Yorba Linda, Calif./Esperanza) drew a walk, but no further runs came across.
Both Lamberth and Olivarez blanked their opposing lineups in the second and third innings before Wisconsin found the scoreboard in the top of the fourth. Three-straight hits and a Wildcat error helped lead to a trio of runs for the Badgers, cutting the NU lead to one, 4-3.
Northwestern attempted a response in the bottom of the fourth. Robin Thompson (Detroit, Mich./Martin Luther King) led off the inning with a bloop single that fell behind the third baseman and in front of a diving shortstop. Wheeler drew a walk to push Thompson to second, then Thompson moved to third when Batts flew out on a towering ball deep down the right-field line. Monka hit another high-arcing fly into left after Batts', but it too was caught to end the threat.
Wisconsin got a runner to third with two outs in the top of the fifth when an absolute laser-beam off the bat of the Badger at the plate found the glove of Allard at short to end the inning. Pauly capitalized on NU maintaining its lead by extending it with one swing of the bat. The senior led off the bottom of the fifth with her second home run of the day, her 13th of the year and the 53rd of her career to make the score 5-3.
After Pauly's home run, Haug drew a walk before trotting home when Dyer joined the senior home run party with a two-run shot over the fence in left, making NU's lead four, 7-3. Dyer now has five homers this year and 23 for her career. After the blast, Wisconsin replaced starting pitcher Olivarez with Meghan McIntosh, who promptly hit Scharkey with a pitch. Scharkey stole second, moved to third on a passed ball and came home when Allard beat out an infield single to make the score 8-3.
Lamberth kept Wisconsin in check in the top of the sixth, fanning the final two Badgers to the plate in the frame looking. In the bottom half, Monka was hit by the very first pitch of the inning before giving way to pinch runner Euler. Pauly then singled into center for her third hit of the day before Haug concluded Senior Day in Senior-style, blasting a three-run home run to left-center to end the game early, 11-3. Haug's shot was her 11th of the year and the 14th of her career.
Pauly drove in a career-best five runs and scored a career-best three times. Haug crossed the plate twice and drove in three while Allard finished 2-for-3 at the plate.
Lamberth went the distance in the circle, improving to 5-3 with the victory. She allowed three runs (two earned) on seven hits and four strikeouts in 6.0 innings of work.
Northwestern returns to action in its final Big Ten series of the year May 14-15 at Ohio State. Both games will be broadcast live on the Big Ten Network.
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