Northwestern
Bradley
Northwestern Beats Downstate Foe Bradley, 5-2
4/27/2004 12:00:00 AM | Softball
April 27, 2004
EAST PEORIA, Ill. -- A slow start did not hinder Northwestern Tuesday night in a 5-2 win over in-state rival Bradley at the EastSide Center in East Peoria, Ill.
After advancing runners to third with less than one out without scoring in two of the first three innings, Northwestern was finally able to break through in the fourth. Garland Cooper led off the inning with a single and was replaced on the base paths by Elizabeth Piatt. Kristen Amegin drew her team-record 30th walk of the season before Eryn Manahan executed a perfect sacrifice bunt to move the runners over.
Jamie Dotson then pushed a bunt single down the third base line to plate Piatt. Carri Leto drove two more runs in with a single to left, giving the Wildcats a 3-0 advantage.
The Braves wasted no time cutting into the NU lead, loading the bases with no outs in the bottom half of the inning and pushing across a pair of runs to make the score 3-2.
In the seventh, NU added some insurance on a two-run home run by Cooper, her seventh of the year. Erin Mobley, who doubled in the inning, scored on the play to make the score 5-2 in favor of the Wildcats. Cooper is now slugging .676 for the season, on pace to shatter the single-season NU mark of .608 set by Brooke Siebel in 2000.
Mobley, Cooper, Leto and J.C. Kira each recorded a pair of hits in the contest for the Wildcats.
"We came into this game with a plan and I think we executed that plan," NU head coach Kate Drohan said.
Courtnay Foster (13-12) started the game and earned the win for Northwestern, giving up two runs -- both unearned -- and striking out six in four innings of work. The sophomore now has 201 strikeouts on the year, making her only the second pitcher in school history to whiff 200 batters in consecutive seasons. She had 292 strikeouts a year ago.
Megan Hinck pitched the final three innings for Northwestern to earn her second save of the season in as many appearances.
The Wildcats have now won 11 of their last 12 contests and improve to 28-14 overall on the season. Bradley drops to 29-22. Northwestern's series record against the Braves is now a perfect 6-0.
The Wildcats return to action Sunday for Senior Day at Sharon J. Drysdale Field when NU welcomes Big Ten leading Michigan to Evanston for a doubleheader beginning at Noon.
