University of Toledo
NORTHERN ILLINOIS
Toledo Splits Twinbill at Northern Illinois
5/1/2004 12:00:00 PM | Softball
May 1, 2004
DeKalb, IL - Toledo (20-30, 4-14 MAC) split a doubleheader this afternoon at Northern Illinois (13-37, 5-14 MAC) by posting a 2-1 triumph in the nightcap after letting victory escape with a 3-2 setback in the opener. With the win today, the Rockets have reached the 20-win mark for the first time in seven years when the 1997 squad posted a 27-33 ledger.
The opener saw the Rockets squander a 2-0 lead with freshman Stephanie Moore (11-11) taking the loss after allowing three runs (one earned) and seven hits in 6.2 innings.
After the teams played five scoreless innings including a 50-minute rain delay in the bottom of the fifth, UT jumped on top with two runs in the top of the sixth. Freshman RF Denise Van Vossen walked to lead off the frame followed by back-to-back singles by senior DP Vicki Nelson and sophomore 1B Kristin DuVall. Junior 3B Amy Morris then drew a walk to give the Rockets a 1-0 lead and freshman LF Tracy Lehman accounted for UT's second run with an RBI groundout.
The Huskies answered right back in the bottom half of the inning on a lead-off double from LF Kelly Drozd and an RBI single from SS Shelby Bernard.
NIU kept the pressure on in the seventh when CF Kelly Redican drew a one-out walk. RF Therese Harper then popped up her bunt attempt to sacrifice Redican along, but the ball sailed over DuVall's head and landed for a single to put two on with one out. Drozd walked to load the bases, and a fielder's choice forced Redican at the plate before DP Lauren von Holst roped a groundball that was too quick for sophomore SS Gina Muratori. The ball skipped off Muratori's glove and deflected into foul territory. Bernard and Drozd both came around to score on the error, giving the Huskies a 3-2 victory.
Toledo jumped right on the Huskies in the nightcap with two runs in the first inning and that was all junior Kim Pettitt (8-17) would need. She fanned seven Huskies and allowed six hits and one unearned run to pick up her third-straight win.
Muratori led off with a double down the left-field line and advanced to third on a sacrifice. Nelson then drilled a two-run homer to left for her fourth of the season and the eighth of her career to move her into a third-place tie in the Rockets' recordbook.
NIU attempted another late-game rally but could only score one run in the bottom of the seventh. With two out and two on, Drozd lined a single to center to score Redican and make it a 2-1 ballgame. The Huskies almost scored the tying run but DuVall deflected a rocket off the bat of Bernard just enough to direct it to junior 2B Kristina Shultz, who promptly tagged first for the game's final out.
The two teams will meet in the final contest of their three-game series tomorrow at 2:00 p.m.
