No. 4 Seed Ohio State Falls 4-0 to No. 1 Seed Northwestern – Ohio State Buckeyes
5/13/2006 12:00:00 AM | Softball
May 13, 2006
Box Score
EVANSTON, Ill. – Northwestern senior Courtnay Foster pitched a one-hit shutout as the 11th-ranked and No. 1 seed Wildcats pinned a 4-0 loss on the No. 4 seed Ohio State softball team Saturday in the Big Ten tournament semifinals at NU’s Sharon J. Drysdale Field. Ohio State (38-21, 11-7 Big Ten) now awaits the NCAA tournament selection show Sunday at 3:30 p.m., while Northwestern (42-11, 16-3 Big Ten) advances to the Big Ten tournament championship game against 13th-ranked and defending national champion Michigan.
“Foster pitched an excellent game,” Linda Kalafatis, Ohio State head coach, said. “She’s a senior so we’ve seen her for four years now, but that might have been the best game I’ve seen her pitch. She had two strikeout pitches going today with the rise and the change. We hit the ball pretty hard but my hat is off to her.”
Ohio State swept Northwestern April 9 in Columbus but came up short on what would have been the first time the Buckeyes ever beat the same ranked team three times in the same season.
“Northwestern got the key hits this time like we did the first two times we played them,” Kalafatis said. “We’re expecting our name to be called tomorrow when the NCAA tournament selections are announced. We have seen some of the best pitchers and hitters in the country this year – the Big Ten has prepared us for that.”
OSU freshman pitcher Kim Reeder (Salinas, Calif./Notre Dame H.S.) held Northwestern scoreless until the fifth inning when the Wildcats scored three runs. Foster (21-6), named second-team All-Big Ten Thursday, allowed only a first inning single by OSU junior Megan Schwab (Glendale, Ariz./Sunrise Mountain).
In the top of the first inning Ohio State put two runners on base when sophomore Brittany Vanderink (Hiram, Ohio/Crestwood) reached on an error and Schwab singled to center field. With two out, senior Chelsea Baker (Gahanna, Ohio/DeSales) hit a shot over the left field fence off Welsh-Ryan Arena but it was just foul and Foster then got a fly out to end the OSU scoring threat.
After allowing two of the first three Buckeyes to reach base, Foster retired nine in a row before issuing a walk to junior Jamee Juarez (La Puente, Calif./Wilson). A stellar play by Northwestern’s first-team All-Big Ten shortstop Tammy Williams robbed Baker of a hit in the fourth inning and Foster then struck out freshman Courtney Pruner (Akron, Ohio/Ellet) for the third out.
Northwestern put two runners in scoring position in the top of the fifth before Vanderink turned in perhaps the defensive play of the season thus far to keep the Wildcats off the board. NU’s Erin Dyer hit a fly ball into foul territory in shallow right field that Vanderink made a diving catch to snag. On the play, NU pinch runner Ann Schraufnagel tagged at third base and attempted to score, but Vanderink quickly fired to catcher Lauren Daykin (Jr., Melbourne, Australia/Manatee C.C., Fla.), who applied the tag for the double-play third out of the inning.
A one-out double by NU’s Darcy Sengewald got the Wildcats’ three-run started, which included a single by Katie Logan, a RBI double by Williams and a two-run single by Jamie Dotson.
In the top of the sixth, a bunt by Vanderink prompted a NU throwing error and she moved to second on a groundout by Schwab. Juarez nearly brought the score to 3-2 with a long drive off Welsh-Ryan that, like Baker’s, was foul, and Foster then struck her out to end the inning.
Reeder (16-10) struck out two and allowed three earned runs in 4.1 innings. Pruner worked the final 1.1 innings, allowing one run.
### GO BUCKS! ###
