Softball

Evans Schoeman

P Lauren Delaney and Northwestern were the talk of the tournament on Day 1... and not in a good way.

The Northwestern softball team’s top seeded position in the Waco, Texas Regional meant a very early (4AM) wake-up call to catch a flight from Chicago to Dallas for the drive to Baylor University in Waco.

Upon arriving in Waco around 1PM, three things quickly became evident:

• Central Texas is a very hot place this time of year, as the temperature on this sunny day was in the low 90s

• The barbecue at one of Waco’s well-known restaurants was plentiful and excellent.  A great way to fill the stomach in anticipation of some great softball

• Already crowded for graduation day, Baylor’s campus is picturesque with some first class athletic facilities, including tennis, baseball, soccer, and, of course, softball’s Getterman Stadium.

Although not nearly as elaborate as pre-game tailgating activities in Evanston, there was nonetheless some “low key” tailgating in the stadium parking lot prior to the game, as fans and parents converged on Waco from places as diverse as California, Missouri, Iowa, and Illinois to support the Cats.  Nothing like some cold refreshments to help prepare for battle between NU and the Texas State Bobcats.

Taking our seats in Getterman behind the Cats’ third base dugout, purple was well represented in the crowd, although outnumbered by a noisy Texas State contingent that was only a couple of hours from its campus.

The game did not start off well for the Cats, as Texas State managed to push a run across in the visitors’ half of the first inning without the benefit of a hit.  That old bugaboo, the base on balls, bit the Cats again, as the Bobcats waited out three walks and scored on a fielders choice.  Cats’ pitcher Lauren Delaney seemed to have her strikeout ball today, as she whiffed two batters swinging, and the Bobcats weren’t able to do additional damage.

The bottom half of the first looked encouraging as two-time Big Ten Player of the Year Tammy Williams pounded the ball off he left-center field fence and slid into second base with a double.  A walk and a hit batsman followed and loaded the bases, but the Cats were unable to score off the opportunity.

Although Delaney held the Bobcats at bay without a hit through the next two innings, the Cats were unable to reach Texas State pitcher Chandler Hall for anything significant, and the game remained tight at 1-0 after three innings.

The top of the fourth proved to be the Cats’ undoing, as Texas State broke the game open with six additional runs, five of which were unearned as the result of three Cats’ errors.  Understandably, all of this scoring put the Cats back on their heels and definitely put a damper on the purple cheering section.

Now behind by a 7-0 count, NU still was unable to get to Bobcat pitcher Hall, and the game entered the fifth inning with Northwestern dangling dangerously close to run-rule territory.

The Bobcats pushed the Cats to the brink in the top of the fifth, scoring an additional run on a walk, single, fielder’s choice and another single, to make the score 8-0.  That was to be the final, as the Cats were able to get only a walk in their half of the fifth, ending the game prematurely after five innings.

For the game, the Cats were able to reach Texas State pitcher Hall for only one hit, Tammy Williams’ double in the first inning.  The quiet offnsive display was far below their usual production which had led the Big Ten for almost the entire year.

NU now faces the daunting task of having to win four games in a row over the next two days to advance to the Super Regionals next week-end.  The road back begins with a Saturday afternoon game against Louisiana, Lafayette, a 2-1 victim of host Baylor in Friday’s second game.

Over much of the season, NU has displayed the weapons they will need the rest of this week-end to emerge victorious from the Regional:  Lauren Delaney pitching at her best, the thundering Cats’ bats coming alive, plus solid defense.  The entire team and coaches, particularly seniors Tammy Williams, Erin Dyer, Ashley Lafever, and Jessica Rigas all want to prolong their 2009 season, as do their fans.