April 1, 2009

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EVANSTON, Ill. -- No. 8 Northwestern hit its second-straight walk-off home run to defeat Michigan State in run-rule fashion Wednesday in the second game of a doubleheader, capturing the nightcap 11-2 in six innings.

Northwestern now is 20-7 overall on the season with its win, 6-0 in the Big Ten. Michigan State falls to 13-18, 0-5 in the conference with its loss. The Wildcats won the first game between the two squads Wednesday 9-1 (5).

Northwestern wasted little time resuming its scoring pace from the first game. Robin Thompson (Detroit, Mich./Martin Luther King) was hit by the first pitch of the game from Michigan State starter Megan Hair (4-7), then moved to third on a Tammy Williams (Roscoe, Mo./Osceola) single to right. Williams moved to third on the throw. Hair then issued a walk to Adrienne Monka (Rancho Cucamonga, Calif./Rancho Cucamonga) to load the bases.

Michelle Batts (Bloomingdale, Ill./Glenbard North) drove a liner into center that was caught, allowing Thompson to score and Williams to move to third on the sacrifice fly. Nicole Pauly (Palatine, Ill./Palatine) then hit a grounder to the second baseman, who elected to come home with the throw, but Williams beat it for a 2-0 NU lead.

Michigan State got one of the runs back in the top of the second inning, bringing home a leadoff double after a couple of NU errors and a single.

Northwestern wrestled the run back in the bottom half of the frame. Kelly Quinn (Northbrook, Ill./Glenbrook North) was hit by the first pitch of the inning, then replaced by pinch runner Ashley Lafever (Bettendorf, Iowa./Pleasant Valley). Back-to-back sacrifices from Jordan Wheeler (Garden Grove, Calif./Los Alamitos) and Thompson pushed Lafever third before Hair issued a four-pitch walk to Williams. The pair executed a perfect double steal to plate a run and make the score 3-1.

The Wildcats notched a trio of runs in the fourth, all in a two-out rally. With two outs, Monka drew a walk before moving to second on a Batts single. Aly Euler (River Forest, Ill./Oak Park River Forest) replaced Monka at second, then came around to score when Pauly singled back up the middle. Both Batts and Pauly moved up a base on a wild pitch, then came around to score when an Erin Dyer (Homer Glen, Ill./Lockport) hard-hit grounder glanced off the glove of a diving third baseman for a two-run single to make the score 6-1.

Michigan State again found the scoreboard against NU starter Lauren Delaney (Jefferson City, Mo./Helias) in the top of the fifth, turning a pair of one-out singles and a two-out base knock into a run to make the score 6-2.

Quinn was hit by a pitch for the second time in the game to lead off the fifth inning, moving to second on an infield single by Wheeler. Thompson sacrificed both runners over, then Williams doubled off the very top of the fence in left center to score both runners and make the NU advantage six, 8-2.

Williams' double gave her 501 total bases for her career, pushing her over both the 500 plateau and Garland Cooper's school-record total of 499.

Batts drew a leadoff walk in the sixth, then was replaced by pinch runner Megan Lilley (North Canton, Ohio/Hoover). Michigan State also took the opportunity to move game one starter Lauren Kramer into the circle in favor of Hair. Kramer immediately walked Pauly, and one out later Kelly Dyer (Homer Glen, Ill./Lockport) launched a three-run home run to end the game.

Dyer's blast came on the heels of a walk-off homer in the first contest by Williams. It was Dyer's seventh home run of the season.

Delaney earned the win, allowing two runs on six hits with no walks and four strikeouts. She now is 19-6 on the season.

Williams was 2-for-3 at the plate with two RBIs. Kelly Dyer drove in three while Erin Dyer and Pauly both knocked in a pair. Pauly also scored twice.

Northwestern returns to action at 1 p.m. CT Saturday, April 4, against Indiana at Sharon J. Drysdale Field.