Northwestern will return to action in a game scheduled to start at 9:30 p.m. CT/8:30 p.m. MT tonight against UC Santa Barbara, but in reality it will start much later due to delays all day on Tempe Sports Complex's Field Four.
North Carolina took advantage of a killed Northwestern second-inning rally by drawing first blood in the top of the third via a two-out, two-run home run to center field, then Northwestern responded immediately and in kind. Julia Kuhn (Middletown, N.J./Middletown South) led off the bottom of the third with a single to right before junior catcher Caylor Arnold (Mount Gilead, Ohio/Mount Gilead) launched a two-run home run in the first start of her career to knot the score.
The inning continued with freshman Sabrina Rabin (St. Charles, Ill./St. Charles North) drawing a walk. She stole second, moved to third on an error on the throw, then scampered home on a wild pitch to give NU the lead after three innings solely on the speed of her own two feet.
The Tarheels tied the game again in the top of the fourth, taking advantage of an NU error on a sacrifice bunt attempt to eventually cross home on a groundout to make the score 3-3.
North Carolina tried to take the lead in the fifth with aggressive base running but Northwestern was ready with its first double play turn of the year. With a runner at first and no outs, the batter dropped a sacrifice attempt that Edwards charged from third, throwing across to Brianna LeBeau (Worth, Ill./H.L. Richards) for the first out. The lead runner, meanwhile, made a tractor-trailer sized turn at second, and LeBeau charged at her to force her hand, firing to third to complete the DP.
After keeping the game tied, Northwestern made sure to un-tie it in the bottom of the fifth. With one out, Arnold led off with her second hit of the game and gave way to runner Krista Williams (Pleasanton, Calif./Amador Valley). Olivia Duehr (Antioch, Ill./Antioch) followed with a shot through the left-side of the infield before, with two outs, Andrea DiPrima (Arlington Heights, Ill./Buffalo Grove) smashed a single back through the middle to put NU on top, 4-3, with Duehr ending up at third and DiPrima at second following the throw to the plate.
North Carolina lifted starter Kaylee Carlson in favor of fellow freshman Sydney Matzko after the DiPrima single, and her first pitch was called illegal to let Williams trot home for a 5-3 Northwestern lead after five innings of play.
The top of the sixth turned on a dropped third-strike play that was reviewed at length and eventually ruled to be Letourneau's fourth K of the contest. The momentum afforded the Wildcats continued to the offensive side of the plate in the bottom half of the frame, where the #B1GCats busted out for two more runs.
Edwards led off with a walk and gave way to pinch runner Marissa Panko (Naperville, Ill./Benet Academy). Kuhn then singled and Arnold walked to load the bases with no outs, at which point the Tarheels re-entered their starting pitcher Carlson into the circle. Carlson issued a four-pitch walk to Duehr to force home Panko, then pinch hitter Alcy Bush (Riverside, Calif./Martin Luther King) hit a sacrifice fly to right to make it a 7-3 game.
Letourneau (1-0) finished the victory with a scoreless seventh, following a leadoff error with a trio of strikeouts to end the game. She went the distance, allowing three runs (two earned) on four hits and no walks with seven Ks.
Arnold led NU at the plate with a 2-for-2 day, scoring once and driving in two. Kuhn was 2-for-3 with two runs scored.
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