Feb. 11, 2007

Box Score

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa -- Northern Illinois put up eight runs over a three-inning stretch to run away from the University of Northern Iowa softball team for an 8-1 win on the second day of the Ramada Inn UNI-Dome Softball Invitational.

 

The Huskies scored three times each in the second and third innings and tacked on another pair in the fourth frame to secure the win.

 

Ellen Stoddard broke open the scoring in the bottom of the second inning, driving in the Huskies' first run on a double that plated Bailey Quellette, who knocked a double of her own one batter earlier.  Ashley Clement added to the lead quickly as the next batter, launching a deep two-run homer over the left field fence to push Northern Illinois' advantage to 3-0.

UNI's answer came immediately, as freshman Whitney Link (Ankeny, Iowa/ Des Moines East) led off the Panthers' half of the third inning with a solo homer over the "Purple Monster" in right field, cutting the Huskies' lead to 3-1.  The solo shot was the Panthers' third home run of the weekend and first of Link's career.

 

The Huskies tacked on three more runs in the bottom of the third.  Kelly Park led off with a double and was driven in two batters later by Michelle Nendza, who doubled and then scored along with Randi Kreiter on a two-run single by Clement, who finished with four RBI.

 

Kreiter drove in another run with an infield single that bounced between third baseman Link and shortstop Stephanie Aguero (Muscatine, Iowa/Muscatine) in the fifth, and Krista McPherson, who reached on a fielding error, then scored on a wild pitch to push the Huskies' lead to 8-1.

 

The Panthers loaded the bases with one out in the top of the sixth but were unable to bring a run across.  Freshman pitcher Jen Larsen (Moline, Ill./Moline) did her part for UNI, allowing just three hits over three scoreless innings of relief while striking out three.

 

Starting pitcher Ashley Lepley (Albia, Iowa/Albia) took the loss for the Panthers to drop her season record to 1-1.  Northern Illinois' Kate Greenough improved to 2-1 on the year with the complete-game win as the Huskies wrapped up competition with a 2-2 opening-weekend record.  The freshman right-hander allowed just a single earned run, scattering eight hits over seven innings of work in the circle.

 

The Panthers, who fell to 1-2, will conclude the Ramada Inn UNI-Dome Softball Invitational with a game against Missouri Valley Conference foe Drake scheduled to begin at 7 p.m.