March 6, 2010

Box Score

FULLERTON, Calif. -- Freshman Meghan Lamberth (Wildwood, Mo./Lafayette) had herself a day Saturday afternoon against UC Davis at the DeMarini Invitational, throwing a complete game victory and smacking the first two home runs of her career at the plate in a 7-1 win over the Aggies.

The Wildcats now are 9-9 overall on the season with their win while the Aggies fall to 7-10 with their loss.

The Wildcats wasted little time getting on the board against the Aggies with three runs in the first. Freshman Emily Allard (Antioch, Calif./Deer Valley) led off the game with a choppy little flare into center for a single, then moved to second on a Jordan Wheeler (Garden Grove, Calif./Los Alamitos) fielder's choice. The pitcher attempted to put out Allard at second on the play, but the throw sailed into center for an error. The at-bat marked the fourth-consecutive trip to the plate dating to Friday's game against Oregon State that Wheeler reached base on an error or fielder's choice.

Adrienne Monka (Rancho Cucamonga, Calif./Rancho Cucamonga) followed with a single back up the middle to plate Allard and chase Wheeler to third. Senior Aly Euler (River Forest, Ill./Oak Park River Forest) moved from the flex position to run for Monka at first, then quickly stole second base. Michelle Batts (Bloomingdale, Ill./Glenbard North) attempted to drive in Wheeler with a sacrifice bunt, but messed up the sacrifice part when she was safe at first following a tremendous run-scoring bunt single. Nicole Pauly (Palatine, Ill./Palatine) laid down a squeeze of her own one out later to bring in Euler and make it 3-0 going into the second frame.

The frame also chased UC Davis starter Marissa Araujo (0-2) from the circle in favor of Alex Holmes to start the second inning.

Lamberth faced the minimum in the circle through the first two innings, erasing a UC Davis single in the second with a 6-3 double-play grounder. She then led off the bottom of the second with her first career home run to make it 4-0 in favor of the Wildcats. Lamberth is the first Northwestern pitcher with more than 12.0 innings pitched in a season to both throw and homer in the same game since Lauren Schwendimann in 2003.

Lamberth got out of a runner at second and third with no out jam unscathed in the top of the fourth. She first got a harmless groundout to Lauren Ackerman (St. Louis, Mo./Home schooled) at third before a walk loaded the bases. The next batter grounded to Allard at short, who brought the throw home for out number two. The subsequent Aggie worked a full count from Lamberth before tagging a pitch into left, where Wheeler comfortably circled around the liner to end the inning.

Batts had a much longer hit than her first-inning bunt single to lead off the fifth, turning on a pitch and sending it over the right-field fence to push Northwestern's lead to five, 5-0. The shot was her sixth of the season and the 26th of her career.

Later in the frame, Pauly singled into center, but was erased on a Kelly Dyer (Homer Glen, Ill./Lockport) fielder's choice grounder. Lamberth then stepped to the plate and smacked her second home run of college and her second of the game to make it 7-0 in favor of the 'Cats.

Lamberth did surrender a run in the bottom of the seventh, but finished the game with a five-hitter to move to 2-2 on the year. She went 7.0 innings on a super-efficient 71 pitches, allowing an unearned run on five hits and one walk.

Northwestern returns to action immediately against No. 10 Stanford at the DeMarini Invitational.