Indiana University Athletics
Indiana University
Northwestern
Hoosiers Fall to No. 17 Northwestern
4/14/2006 12:00:00 AM | Softball
April 14, 2006
EVANSTON, Ill. - The Indiana softball team struggled from the plate, falling to No. 17 Northwestern, 8-0, at Sharon J. Drysdale Field on April 14. With the loss, Indiana fell to 20-18-1 and 3-6 in Big Ten action, while Northwestern improved to 27-10 and 7-2 in the conference.
In a tight contest through 2 1/2 innings, both teams struggled to reach base as Northwestern fanned six of IU's first nine, while senior pitcher Mariangee Bogado and IU's fielding unit retired six straight Wildcats.
In the bottom of the third, Northwestern finally cracked the base path with a pair of hits in the frame. A determined Indiana, however, ended the Wildcat threat with a catch by junior left fielder Heather Hohs in foul territory, stranding two in the process.
With three clean innings for the Hoosiers, the Wildcats broke through in the bottom of the fourth with four hits and four runs to take a 4-0 lead. Another pair of runs in the bottom of the fifth gave Northwestern a strong six run advantage in the contest.
In the face of one of the Big Ten's top hurlers, the Hoosiers could not solve its struggles at the plate as Northwestern registered 11 strike outs in the outing.
With two hits in the effort, including a single by Bogado and a double by junior center fielder Kim Richards, Indiana fell to Northwestern, 8-0 in six innings.
Indiana returns to the diamond on April 15 for the second game of the series. The two teams are set for a Noon (CT) start.
