NU moves to 2-1 on the season with its loss while Texas now is 2-1 with its win. Northwestern returns to action immediately against No. 2 Oregon.
The Wildcats took advantage of their guest status in the game to stake starter Amy Letourneau (Laguna Niguel, Calif./Santa Margarita Catholic) to a three-run lead before she threw a pitch. With one out in the top of the first, Andrea DiPrima (Arlington Heights, Ill./Buffalo Grove) drew a walk before moving to second when Brianna LeBeau (Worth, Ill./H.L. Richards) singled to right with two outs. Andrea Filler (Fort Wayne, Ind./Bishop Dwenger) then served a double down the line in right field to plate DiPrima before Anna Edwards (La Canada, Calif./La Canada) singled to bring in LeBeau and Filler for a quick NU advantage.
Texas' offense waited exactly one batter to strike back, getting a solo home run to kick off a three-run inning of its own. Three singles followed the homer for one run, then two walks forced in the third to tie the game heading to the second inning.
Both teams had chances to score following the first, but neither team was able to break through in the middle innings. To begin the fifth, Texas lifted starter Lauren Slatten in favor of Erica Wright after the Wildcats pounded several balls right at fielders for outs. Wright walked both DiPrima and Letourneau, resulting in pinch runners Marissa Panko (Naperville, Ill./Benet Academy) and Fran Strub (Coralville, Iowa/Clear Creek Amana) at first and second with no outs. The next two batters, however, just got under pitches and hit towering fly ball outs to left helping Texas to escape unscathed.
Each inning after the first seemed to follow a similar script, with Northwestern drawing walks and hitting hard liners and fly balls right to fielders. Texas meanwhile drew walks and grounded out to both sides of a very strong Wildcats' infield.
The Longhorns put together the game's most dangerous rally since the first in the bottom of the sixth, getting a leadoff double and then loading the bases with one out. Letourneau coaxed a weak grounder to first where Julia Kuhn (Middletown, N.J./Middletown South) gloved it and fired home for the force, then got a pop-up in foul territory to catcher Caylor Arnold (Mt. Gilead, Ohio/Mt. Gilead) to keep the contest tied heading into the seventh inning.
Northwestern responded to killing the rally by starting the seventh just as it started the fifth, with back-to-back leadoff walks issued to DiPrima and Letourneau. This time, however, LeBeau dumped a single into right field to load the bases with no outs and Filler followed with a sacrifice fly to deep right to put the Wildcats back on top for the first time since the first inning, 4-3.
Texas coaxed a leadoff walk in the bottom of the seventh and sacrificed that runner to second. Then, with two outs and a full count, the batter hit a walkoff home run.
Letourneau took the loss to fall to 1-1, allowing five runs on six hits with eight walks and two strikeouts.
LeBeau had two hits for NU at the plate while DiPrima scored twice and both Filler and Edwards drove in a pair.
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