April 2, 2011

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Site: Evanston, Ill. (Sharon J. Drysdale Field)
Score: Northwestern 6, Loyola (Chicago) 3
Records: NU (16-9), Loyola (Chicago) (12-12)
Next NU Event: Tuesday, April 5 -- vs. DePaul (Sharon J. Drysdale Field), 4 p.m. CT

EVANSTON, Ill. -- Northwestern earned the 1,000th win in the history of the program Saturday afternoon with a 6-3 win in the second game of a doubleheader against Loyola (Chicago) at Sharon J. Drysdale Field.

With the win, Northwestern improves to 16-9 overall on the 2011 season. Loyola (Chicago) falls to 12-12 on the year with its loss.

Northwestern began play as a program in 1976 with a seven-game schedule under the direction of head coach Mary Conway. Scores in that season regularly looked like something out of the Cricket World Cup, with the first-ever NU game being a 28-2 loss to George Williams. The Wildcats' first-ever win was a 20-7 decision over Mundelein in that same campaign.

Conway coached for three seasons until the legendary Sharon J. Drysdale took over the program in 1979, beginning a 23-year tenure in Evanston that saw the Wildcats win four Big Ten titles and advance to the Women's College World Series three times. Drysdale compiled a 640-512-3 record in those 23 years, ranking 16th in Division I victories in NCAA softball history at the time of her retirement after the 2001 season.

Current 10th-year head coach Kate Drohan assumed control of the program in 2002 after serving four years as an assistant under Drysdale. Kate immediately hired her twin sister, Caryl Drohan, as an assistant coach, and together they earned career win No. 350 at Northwestern with the 6-3 result in the second game of today's doubleheader. The Drohans now have a career record of 350-166-1 (.678) at NU, earning two Big Ten titles and two trips to the semifinals of the Women's College World Series while averaging 37 victories per season.

After a scoreless top of the first on Saturday, Emily Allard (Antioch, Calif./Deer Valley) beat out an infield single to leadoff the bottom half and extend her current hitting streak to 16 games. She moved to second when the throw on the play got away from the first baseman, then moved to third on a perfect Robin Thompson (Detroit, Mich./Martin Luther King) sacrifice bunt, but she would be stranded there.

Northwestern sent 10 batters to the plate and broke through for five runs in the bottom of the second. Marisa Bast (Orange, Calif./Villa Park) served a lead-off single into right before moving to second when Kelly Quinn (Northbrook, Ill./Glenbrook North) was hit by a pitch. NU pitcher Sammy Albanese (Belmont, Calif./Castilleja) advanced both runners with a sacrifice bunt, then Jordan Wheeler (Garden Grove, Calif./Los Alamitos) smacked a double down the line in left to drive in Bast, though Quinn was held at third base.

Kristin Scharkey (Yorba Linda, Calif./Esperanza) loaded the bases right back up after the Wheeler hit when she was struck by a pitch, then Quinn and Wheeler both scored when Allard dumped a single into left to make it a 3-0 game. Thompson followed with a rip through the hole in the right side of the infield to again load the bags before Adrienne Monka (Rancho Cucamonga, Calif./Rancho Cucamonga) worked a run-scoring walk.

Batts followed Monka with a single into left that plated Allard, but Thompson was thrown out at the plate with the score now 5-0 in favor of the Wildcats.

After a scoreless third for both teams, Loyola put its first run of the entire doubleheader on the board with a two-out solo home run in the top of the fourth. The Ramblers then got another tally with a one-out solo shot in the fifth to make it a 5-2 game.

Northwestern got back on the scoring train in the bottom of the sixth. Allard led off with her third hit of the game, then stole second base. One out later, Monka drew a walk before Bast rocked a two-out single to left to bring Allard home and push NU's advantage back out to four, 6-2, entering the seventh inning

Loyola loaded the bases with one out in the seventh against Albanese, but the freshman got a strikeout for the second out. The next batter then single to Wheeler in left to score one, but Wheeler nailed the trail runner at the plate to end the game.

Albanese (4-3) earned the victory for the Wildcats, going all seven innings and surrendering three runs (two earned) on eight hits with no walks and a career-best 10 strikeouts.

Allard led NU at the plate with a 3-for-4 performance, driving in two and scoring twice while stealing a base. Batts, Bast and Wheeler all recorded two hits in the game.

Northwestern returns to action at 4 p.m. CT Tuesday, April 5, against DePaul at Sharon J. Drysdale Field.

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