April 22, 2007

Box Score

MINNEAPOLIS -- No. 8 Northwestern scored seven runs in the fourth inning Saturday in the first game of a scheduled doubleheader at Minnesota, but rain came in and ended the contest early after five frames of play, 7-1. The second game of the double-dip was washed out and will not be made up.

With the win, Northwestern improves to 36-10 on the season, 11-3 in the Big Ten. The loss drops Minnesota to 19-17 overall, 2-5 in the conference. The Gophers have had six league games canceled due to weather this year.

Minnesota took the first lead of the game in the second inning without getting a hit. After a leadoff walk and a sacrifice bunt, the lead runner moved to third on an error before scoring on a wild pitch for a 1-0 Gopher lead.

In the second and third innings, Northwestern put runners at third with two outs, but both times Minnesota starter Katie Dalen got an out to keep the 'Cats off the scoreboard.

In the top of the fourth, the Wildcats broke through -- which is an understatement considering the 'Cats sent 13 batters to the plate and scored seven runs in the frame. Sophomore Jessica Rigas (River Forest, Ill./Oak Park River Forest) led off with her second walk of the game, then moved to second on a bunt single by senior Jessica Miller (Elberfeld, Ind./Techumseh). A sacrifice bunt by freshman Kelly Dyer (Homer Glen, Ill./Lockport) moved both runners up a bag.

Junior Darcy Sengewald (Frankfort, Ill./Lincoln Way East) then lofted a single into centerfield that scored Rigas to tie the game. Miller moved to third on the hit with Sengewald advancing to second on the throw home. Senior Katie Logan (Tempe, Ariz./Corona del Sol) followed with a single back up the middle to score Sengewald and give the 'Cats a 2-1 lead.

Dalen then hit sophomore Tammy Williams (Roscoe, Mo./Osceola) with a pitch to load the bases. One out later, freshman Nicole Pauly (Palatine, Ill./Palatine) served a single into right field to plate both Logan and Williams and extend NU's advantage to three, 4-1, and chase Dalen (6-5) from the circle in favor of Rene Konderik.

Sophomore Erin Dyer (Homer Glen, Ill./Lockport) immediately drew a walk from Konderik to load the bases again before Rigas' third walk of the game and second of the inning pushed pinch runner Aly Euler (River Forest, Ill./Oak Park River Forest) -- in for Cooper at third -- across to make the score 5-1.

Miller followed with an infield single to short that scored Pauly, then Kelly Dyer (Homer Glen, Ill./Lockport) hit a grounder to third, but the throw got away from the first baseman for an error to allow her sister Erin Dyer to cross home for a six-run NU lead, 7-1. Konderik then finally recorded the final out of the inning for the Gophers.

After both teams recorded zeros in the fifth inning, the skies opened up and heavy rain began to fall, sending the game into a rain delay 1:43 after the first pitch.

Miller finished 2-for-2 with a run and an RBI, while Logan also had a pair of hits with a run and an RBI. Pauly drove in two for the 'Cats.

Canney picked up the win to move to 20-8 on the season, allowing one unearned run on one hit and one walk with seven strikeouts. After winning 19 games in each of her first two seasons, this is her second-straight year with 20 wins. She now has 992 career strikeouts.

Northwestern returns to action at 6 p.m. CT Tuesday, April 24, at Notre Dame.

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