Tide Softball Drops Extra-Inning Heartbreaker to Northwestern
6/2/2006 12:00:00 AM | Softball
OKLAHOMA CITY, OK??The fourth-ranked Alabama softball team (54-10) was one pitch away from its first World Series opening round victory in four tries, but a 2-2 pitch from Tide pitcher Chrissy Owens was sent over the centerfield fence by Erin Dyer tying the game at 5-5 and Alabama went on to lose 6-5 in 10 innings to the Northwestern Wildcats, dropping to the loser’s bracket on Saturday.
Alabama danced out of trouble in the bottom of the first inning as the Wildcats loaded the bases on two hits and a Staci Ramsey error, but Tide starter Stephanie VanBrakle got Sheila McCorkle to ground out to get out of the jam.
Northwestern loaded the bases again in bottom of the third, but this time was able to come away with a run. After getting the first out VanBrakle gave up back-to-back singles, a walk and a hit batsman to score Tammy Williams. VanBrakle struck out the next two batters minimizing the damage.
Alabama answered in the top of the fourth, plating two runs, courtesy of a VanBrakle two-RBI single. Jordan Praytor led off the inning with a single and was sacrificed to second by Ramsey. Dani Woods reached on an infield single and was pinch run for by Mallory Benak who promptly stole second. VanBrakle then singled to right field scoring Praytor and Benak, giving Alabama its first lead of the game at 2-1.
Northwestern reclaimed the lead in the bottom of the inning on a three-run home run off the bat of Garland Cooper spotting the Wildcats a 4-2 lead.
Alabama cut the Northwestern lead in half in the top of the fifth, taking advantage of a Wildcat error. Mandy Burford led off with a double off the right field fence. Following a Brittany Rogers strikeout, Burford advanced to third on a Praytor infield single and came in to score when Darcy Sengewald threw wildly to first in an attempt to get to Praytor.
Alabama reclaimed the lead in the top of the sixth, capitalizing on Northwestern control problems in the circle. Montalvo reached on a one-out double and went to third on a Dominique Accetturo single to left field. Burford reached on a two-out hit by a pitch loading the bases for Rogers. Courtnay Foster, who was on in relief of Eileen Canney, threw a pitch in tight to Rogers that hit off the knob of the bat dropping into play and scoring Montalvo from second. Praytor then drew a two-out walk scoring Accetturo and Alabama was back on top 5-4.
Dyer then provided her heroics in the bottom the seventh to send the game into extra innings.
The two teams remained deadlocked at 5-5 until the bottom of the 10th inning when with Sengewald on second Tammy Williams singled up the middle. Sengewald advanced to third and came in to score when the ball scooted under the glove of Rogers in centerfield ending the game.
Chrissy Owens (21-5) took the loss in relief, allowing two runs, one earned, on six hits while striking out four batters in 5.1 innings of work.
“I’d like to congratulate Northwestern on a great win,” said head coach Patrick Murphy. “It was an exciting game with both teams fighting till the end. The game was back and forth and you just can’t play ??yo-yo’ softball at the World Series. You have to make a statement and keep the lead.”
The Crimson Tide drops to the loser’s bracket and now faces the loser of the Tennessee/UCLA game on Saturday at 1:00 p.m. CT on ESPN.
Game Notes
--Dominique Accetturo moved to sixth on Alabama’s all-time start list with her 263rd.
--Stephanie VanBrakle broke the school single season record for strikeouts in a season with her 342nd strikeout. She held the previous record of 341 set in 2005.
--Jordan Praytor and Brittany Rogers extended their hitting streaks to six games.
--Alabama’s two doubles are the most team doubles in a World Series game in program history.
--Alabama is 4-1 in extra-inning games this season.
--Brittany Rogers recorded six ABs, a career high and a team season high.
--Rogers struck out a school record five times.
--Kelley Montalvo tied her career high with three hits.
--The Crimson Tide played its longest game of the season both in innings 10 and time 3:39.
--The time of game (3:39) was the second longest game in school history. Alabama’s 19-inning affair at Arkansas in 1999 lasted 4:45.
