Northwestern returns to action today at 4:30 p.m. CT/2:30 p.m. PT against Cal State Fullerton at the Titans' home Anderson Family Field. NU improved to 5-9 on the season with its win Friday morning while Southern Utah now is 2-8.
Southern Utah used a two-out rally in the top of the first to load the bases against Northwestern starter Amy Letourneau (Laguna Niguel, Calif./Santa Margarita Catholic), but the junior got an easy grounder to Andrea Filler (Fort Wayne, Ind./Bishop Dwenger) at short to end the threat. The #B1GCats then jumped on the Thunderbirds in a big way in the bottom of the first.
With one out, Andrea DiPrima (Arlington Heights, Ill./Buffalo Grove) was hit by a pitch, Filler singled and Letourneau singled to load the bases. Brianna LeBeau (Worth, Ill./H.L. Richards) then continued her recent RBI barrage with a double off the fence in dead center to bring two runs home. LeBeau knocked in five runs in the Wildcats' last game, a 6-4 win over South Carolina Sunday in Cathedral City, Calif.
The senior Duehr followed LeBeau with a single back through the middle to plate two more and give Northwestern a 4-0 advantage after one inning of play.
Northwestern got back on the board in the bottom of the third thanks to DiPrima's fifth double of the season followed by Letourneau's first home run, a soARIng shot to right field that put the Wildcats up 6-0 in the game. DiPrima's double was the 34th of her career, moving her into a seventh-place tie with Anne Carpenter (1991-94) and Kelley Green (1993-96) on NU's all-time list while Letourneau's blast was the 23rd of her career, tying her with Kelly Dyer (2007-10) for ninth on that NU career list.
In the top of the fifth with the score the same, junior Kristen Wood (Trevor, Wis./Wilmot Union) entered in relief of Letourneau. Southern Utah used a pair of two-out walks to load the bases before a good morning, good afternoon and goodnight strikeout from #KidK kept the Thunderbirds off the board.
Northwestern took advantage of the stop to end the game early in the fifth. DiPrima led off with a solid single and gave way to pinch runner Krista Williams (Pleasanton, Calif./Amador Valley). After a Filler line out, Letourneau drew a four-pitch walk and also yielded to a pinch runner, this time Abbey Boyd (Wilmette, Ill./New Trier).
With two outs, Duehr worked an 0-2 count back to full, then unloaded on a payoff pitch, sending it deep into the palm trees beyond left field to end the game, 9-0 (5). The blast was Duehr's first of the year and the 15th of her career. She finished with a game-high five RBIs on a pair of hits.
DiPrima was a perfect 2-for-2 at the plate with two runs while Letourneau was 2-for-2 with two runs and two RBIs. LeBeau finished 2-for-3 with two doubles and two RBIs.
Letourneau (3-7) earned the victory, going 4.0 innings in the start and allowing no runs on four hits and two walks with six strikeouts. Wood pitched a scoreless inning of relief, allowing one hit and two walks with two strikeouts.
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