April 13, 2008

Box Score

IOWA CITY, Iowa -- Iowa took advantage of a trio of Northwestern errors to score five first-inning runs in the second game of a Sunday doubleheader, holding on to hand the Wildcats their first Big Ten loss of the season, 5-2.

The loss snaps Northwestern's current 10-game winning streak and is its first loss in conference play, dropping the Wildcats to 23-10 on the year and 9-1 in the Big Ten. Iowa improves to 29-13 on the season, 7-3 in the league.

Northwestern jumped out on top right away in the top of the first inning. Freshman Jordan Wheeler (Garden Grove, Ill./Los Alamitos) led off with a double into center field before Iowa starter Brittany Weil issued an intentional walk to junior Tammy Williams (Roscoe, Mo./Osceola) and hit freshman Michelle Batts (Bloomingdale, Ill./Glenbard North) to load the bases with no outs. Sophomore Nicole Pauly (Palatine, Ill./Palatine) then hit a soft liner into left that the fielder tried to catch basket style, but it scooted past her for an error, allowing both Wheeler and Williams to score for a 2-0 NU lead.

Three Wildcats' errors in the bottom half of the inning contributed to a five-run start for the Hawkeyes. Northwestern starter Jessica Smith (Encinitas, Calif./La Costa Canyon) had a rough go of things in the first after three walks and a pair of Wildcats' errors allowed the Hawkeyes to tie the game, 2-2, before sophomore Lauren Delaney (Jefferson City, Mo./Helias) entered the circle in relief.

Williams recorded the first out of the inning when she ranged to her right and laid out to catch a little liner behind third base, but then a single, a hit batter and another NU error brought three more Iowa runs in before the first inning finally ended with the home team in the lead, 5-2.

Smith (2-4) was charged with five runs (three earned) on one hit and three walks.

Iowa nearly added another run in the bottom of the fourth, but two fantastic defensive plays from Northwestern negated the chance. With runners at first and second and one out, the Hawkeyes hit a ball to the wall in left-center field. Left fielder Wheeler picked it up and gunned it to Williams at short, who wheeled and fired home to catcher Erin Dyer (Homer Glen, Ill./Lockport) to erase the runner trying to score from second at the plate. Williams then stayed with a foul fly ball that was out of play before the wind pushed it back to make a great grab up against the fence down the right field line to end the inning.

Delaney finished the game for Northwestern, going 6.0 innings and allowing no runs on four hits, no walks and three hit batters with five strikeouts.

Weil kept NU under control for the majority of game two, improving to 18-10 on the season.

Northwestern returns to action at 4 p.m. Tuesday, April 15, with a home nonconference tilt against Notre Dame at Sharon J. Drysdale Field.

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