April 20, 2008

Box Score

EVANSTON, Ill. -- No. 13 Northwestern earned its third run-rule victory in a row in the first game of a doubleheader Sunday at Sharon J. Drysdale Field, defeating Purdue, 10-2, in five innings.

The win improves Northwestern to 27-10 overall on the year, 12-1 in the Big Ten. Purdue falls to 30-15 on the season, 6-5 in the conference with its loss.

Northwestern began the scoring in the bottom of the first inning. Junior Tammy Williams (Roscoe, Mo./Osceola) and sophomore Nicole Pauly (Palatine, Ill./Palatine) both drew walks from Purdue starter Suzie Rzegocki (13-6), then junior Erin Dyer (Homer Glen, Ill./Lockport) lifted a two-out fly ball into right that dropped for a two-base error, allowing both Williams and Pauly to score.

Sophomore Kelly Dyer (Homer Glen, Ill./Lockport) followed her sister with a line-drive home run over the fence in right to make the score 4-0 after the first frame. Kelly's home run was her fifth of the season and her second in two days.

Purdue found the board in the top of the second inning, turning two singles and a two-out triple to center into two runs to cut NU's lead in half, 4-2. During the inning, however, starter Lauren Delaney (Jefferson City, Mo./Helias) recorded her fourth strikeout of the game to become the third pitcher in Northwestern history to reach 300 strikeouts in a single season.

Northwestern added three more runs to its tally in the bottom of the second. Freshman Kelly Quinn (Northbrook, Ill./Glenbrook North) reached on an error by the Purdue first baseman, then moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by freshman Robin Thompson (Detroit, Mich./Martin Luther King). One out later, Williams ripped a double into the right-center field gap to drive in Quinn.

Freshman Michelle Batts (Bloomingdale, Ill./Glenbard West) followed Williams with a soaring home run over the fence in left center to make the score 7-2 and match Erin Dyer for the team lead with nine blasts on the season.

The Wildcats continued to run the bases in the bottom of the third, beginning with a line-shot single by Erin Dyer into left to leadoff the frame. Sophomore Aly Euler (River Forest, Ill./Oak Park River Forest) replaced Dyer at first, then stole second, but was erased on a fielder's choice grounder off the bat of Kelly Dyer.

Back-to-back singles by Emily Haug (Jefferson City, Mo./Helias) and Quinn drove in Kelly Dyer before an infield base knock from freshman Jordan Wheeler (Garden Grove, Calif./Los Alamitos) sent Haug across the plate to make the score 9-2.

The Wildcats scored their final run in the fifth inning to complete the run-rule win. Thompson drew a one-out walk against new Purdue pitcher Ashley DiDomenico, then stole second base. After DiDomenico hit Williams with a pitch, walks to Batts and Pauly forced Thompson across the plate to end the game, 10-2.

Delaney improves to 25-6 on the season with her win, fanning 12 batters in five innings of work while allowing two runs on five hits with one walk.

Erin Dyer finished the game with two hits, while Kelly Dyer drove in two runs and scored twice. Williams also crossed the plate twice for the 'Cats.

Kristin Scharkey's Blog

Camps and Clinics

The Team

Softball Links and Features

Connect To The Wildcats

Award-Winning Sharon J. Drysdale Field

Contact The Coaches