LONG BEACH, Calif. -- Northwestern largely outplayed No. 14 UCLA Sunday morning in a Louisville Slugger Invitational getaway day game, but one big inning early from the Bruins led to an 8-2 Wildcats defeat at 49er Softball Complex.
The Wildcats end their tournament schedule with a 3-1 record after the loss, and now are 7-10 on the season. UCLA improves to 4-1 at the event, 17-5 on the season. Northwestern returns to action next weekend, Saturday and Sunday, March 7-8, at Louisville Classic in Louisville, Ky.
The Wildcats allowed one unearned run in the first inning to the Bruins in this game and then came unglued a bit in the second, when UCLA plated six runs -- three of which were unearned. From there, NU took control but could not cut into its big early deficit.
UCLA took advantage of a pair of first inning walks to score the game's first run on a two-out passed ball, then plated six runs in the second to take a very fast 7-0 lead.
Amy Letourneau (Laguna Niguel, Calif./Santa Margarita Catholic) entered the game in relief of Northwestern starter Kristen Wood (Trevor, Wis./Wilmot Union) in the bottom of the third, and worked a scoreless frame needing just 11 pitches.
Andrea Filler (Fort Wayne, Ind./Bishop Dwenger) and Letourneau drew back-to-back leadoff walks in the fourth inning and eventually reached second and third with two outs before UCLA made a nice play on the infield to keep the Wildcats scoreless in the game.
Letourneau continued to keep UCLA at bay and Northwestern away from the run-rule threshold in the circle (with help from nice Filler defense at short) before putting the Wildcats on the board in the sixth. Andrea DiPrima (Arlington Heights, Ill./Buffalo Grove) led off the sixth with NU's first hit of the game and gave way to pinch runner Krista Williams (Pleasanton, Calif./Amador Valley). One out later, Letourneau smashed a pitch over the fence to dead center to make it a 7-2 score.
Letourneau's shot was her third of the season and of the weekend. It was the 25th of her career.
The top of the sixth continued with a one-out walk to Brianna LeBeau (Worth, Ill./H.L. Richards) before two-out walks to Anna Edwards (La Canada, Calif./La Canada) and Julia Kuhn (Middletown, N.J./Middletown South) loaded the bases. UCLA escaped the threat with a K.
The Bruins got one of those runs back via a one-out solo home run in the bottom of the sixth to make the score 8-2, then UCLA entered Selina Ta'amilo in the circle in relief of its starter Ally Carda. With one out in the top of the seventh, DiPrima roped her second single of the contest. Filler then hit into a fielder's choice that erased DiPrima at second before Letourneau smashed a single off the glove of the third baseman that allowed Filler to reach third. A soft liner back to the pitcher ended the game.
Wood (2-3) took the loss, allowing seven runs (three earned) on six hits and three walks with three strikeouts. Letourneau went 4.0 innings in relief, allowing one run on three hits and a walk.
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