Feb. 27, 2011
Box Score
Site: Cathedral City, Calif. (Big League Dreams Wrigley Field)
Score: No. 2 UCLA 5, Northwestern 4 (8)
Records: NU (7-5), UCLA (12-3)
Next NU Event: March 4-6, DeMarini Classic at Cal State Fullerton
CATHEDRAL CITY, Calif. -- For the second-straight year at the Cathedral City Classic, Northwestern and No. 2 UCLA went to extra innings in a tense, exciting game. After NU scored in its half of the eighth Sunday morning, the Bruins got a walk-off home run to earn the win, 5-4 (8).
The loss drops Northwestern to 7-5 overall on the season, 3-2 at the Cathedral City Classic. All five of the Wildcats' losses this year have come to teams ranked in the NFCA/USA Today Top 25. UCLA now is 12-3 on the season with its win.
Northwestern put the offense to work right away in the game. Sophomore Emily Allard (Antioch, Calif./Deer Valley) led off with a single off the glove of the third baseman, then stole second before moving to third on a Robin Thompson (Detroit, Mich./Martin Luther King) bunt single. Adrienne Monka (Rancho Cucamonga, Calif./Rancho Cucamonga) drew a walk to load the bases with no outs.
Michelle Batts (Bloomingdale, Ill./Glenbard North) recorded the first out when a leaping third baseman snagged her line drive headed down the left-field line. Then, with Marisa Bast (Orange, Calif./Villa Park) at the plate, a passed ball moved everyone up and brought Allard home to give Northwestern a 1-0 lead. Bast would eventually walk to load the bases again, but that was all the scoring the 'Cats got to begin the game.
In the bottom of the first, UCLA got a leadoff single, a one-out walk and a two-out single against NU starter Jessica Smith (Encinitas, Calif./La Costa Canyon) to load the bases, but the senior calmly K'ed the Bruins' hottest hitter entering the game on three-straight pitches to preserve the 1-0 Northwestern lead going into the second inning.
Back-to-back one-out singles in the top of the second by Jordan Wheeler (Garden Grove, Calif./Los Alamitos) and Allard led to another NU rally. Wheeler moved to third on a diving catch in center that put out Thompson, but the inning ended before she could come home.
In the top of the third, freshman Mari Majam (Pine Valley, Calif./Mountain Empire) crushed a two-out solo home run to center to double the Wildcats' lead, 2-0. The shot was only the second given up all year by the Bruins and it was the first of Majam's collegiate career.
UCLA was able to get on the board against Smith in the bottom of the fourth with a one-out solo home run, making the score 2-1. Smith notched a pair of Ks during the inning to keep Northwestern in front heading into the fifth inning.
After Smith stranded a leadoff walk in the Bruin half of the fifth, Majam drew a leadoff walk of her own to start the top of the sixth against UCLA starter Donna Kerr. Majam moved to second on a wild pitch, then to third on a textbook Paige Tonz (Peoria, Ariz./Centennial) sacrifice bunt. Kerr was able to fan the next two Wildcats, however, to keep the NU lead at 2-1.
UCLA put its leadoff batter on base for the fourth time in the game in the bottom of the sixth. She moved to second on a sacrifice bunt, then a walk to the Bruin who earlier homered put a pair of runners on. The next batter hit an in-between hopper to Allard at short, who bobbled it before shoveling to Bast covering second in just enough time to earn the second out of the frame. The next batter to the plate, however, lined a double to the fence in right to drive in both runs and give UCLA its first lead, 3-2.
Sammy Albanese (Belmont, Calif./Castilleja) entered the circle in relief of Smith at that point, getting a grounder to Bast at second to end the inning. Smith (1-5) held UCLA in check until her final pitch, going 5.2 innings and giving up three runs on six hits and four walks with four Ks.
In the top of the seventh, Allard reached on her third hit of the game, then moved to second when no one covered first on a beautiful bunt single by Thompson. Monka then lined a pitch to right that may have left the yard if not for the running catch made by the Bruin fielder. Allard tagged and moved to third on the inning's first out, leading UCLA to then intentionally walk Batts to load the bases.
Bast then battled through an 11-pitch at-bat before eventually fisting a ball to the shortstop, who went back to make the catch. Allard was dancing a jig off third base trying to draw a throw, and that's exactly what happened -- with the throw glancing off the fielder's glove to allow Allard to come in and tie the game, 3-3, on the error. A walk to Majam loaded the bases again, but NU was unable to regain the lead.
Albanese made quick work of the Bruins in the bottom of the seventh, sending the game into extra innings. UCLA inserted Aleah Macon (1-0) into the circle for Kerr to start the extra frames. Tonz started the top of the eighth at second for NU as the game entered international tiebreaker play, as games at these preconference season tournaments do to speed up play and enhance scoring.
Wheeler put NU back on top in the eighth when she popped a single over the shortstop's head with one out, bringing Tonz around to the plate to make it a 4-3 game. One out later, Thompson earned a grounds crew single when a bunt rolled and rolled along the third-base line and refused to go foul, then Monka was hit by a pitch to load the bases, but UCLA again escaped big damage in the frame when it stranded NU's 11th, 12th and 13th runners in the game.
The Bruins then got a one-out two-run home run in their half of the eighth to win, 5-4. Albanese (0-1) took the loss, allowing two runs (one earned) on one hit in 1.2 innings of work. Allard and Thompson both had three-hit days at the plate, while Wheeler collected a pair of knocks.
Northwestern returns to action next weekend, March 4-6, at the DeMarini Invitational hosted by Cal State Fullerton.
Be the first to know what's going on with the 'Cats -- Follow @NU_Sports on Twitter, become a fan of Northwestern Athletics on Facebook! and subscribe to the NU Sports Express e-newsletter to receive the latest news, schedule updates and video and to interact with NU. For more information on following specific Northwestern teams online, visit our Social Media page!