SU Concludes Kajikawa Classic with 7-2 Loss to #16/15 Northwestern

Sunday, February 12

Tempe, Ariz.

12:00 p.m. EST

Syracuse University

vs. #16/15 Northwestern (Kajikawa Classic)

Heather Kim batted .385 for the Orange at the Kajikawa Classic.

SU Concludes Kajikawa Classic with 7-2 Loss to #16/15 Northwestern

2/13/2006 8:42:07 AM | Softball

Northwestern 7, Syracuse 2

TEMPE, ARIZ. – The Orange softball team (0-5) wrapped up play at the 2006 Kajikawa Classic on Sunday, Feb. 12 with a 7-2 loss to #16/15 Northwestern at the Tempe Sports Complex. Rookie Kim Weinstein (Tarzana, Calif.) recorded the first multi-hit game of her career, going 2-for-3 with single and a double.

The Wildcats struck first, scoring one run in the second. Kristen Amegin led off the inning with a double and advanced to third on a sacrifice bunt by Jamie Dotson. Sheila McCorkle, the older sister of Orange freshman Tonye McCorkle (Santa Ana Heights, Calif.), followed with an infield single to put runners on first and third with one out. Jessica Miller then hit a slow roller to second allowing Amegin to score.

SU rallied to take the lead in the bottom of the inning. With two outs, Northwestern starter Courtnay Foster walked freshman Nicole Miller (Simi Valley, Calif.) and Weinstein cranked a double down the leftfield line. With runners on second and third, Foster struck out freshman Jorden Rosen (Sugarland, Texas), but Dotson couldn’t handle the pitch and her throw down to first got away from Garland Cooper, allowing both runs to score.

Northwestern knotted the game at 2-2 in the third on a one-out double by Tammy Williams and single by Katie Logan.

The Wildcats (3-2) reclaimed the advantage in the following inning. McCorkle drew a leadoff walk and advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt by Miller. Ashley Crane followed with a double into right center to score McCorkle and give Northwestern a 3-2 lead. Williams drew a two-out walk and stole second to put runners on second and third and Logan delivered a two-run single to extend the Northwestern margin to 5-2.

The Wildcats tacked on two more runs in the fifth. Amegin and Dotson led off the inning with a pair of singles and after Orange starter Erin Downey (San Rafael, Calif.) retired McCorkle, Miller singled in both runners to make it 7-2.

Downey (0-3) went the distance for the Orange in her third straight start. She struck out four, walked three and surrendered 11 hits. Foster (2-1) went four innings and struck out nine to earn the win for Northwestern. She walked one and allowed three hits. Eileen Canney replaced Foster in the fifth and tossed the final three innings to earn the save.

Freshman Heather Kim (Boulder, Colo.) extended her hitting streak to three games with a single in the sixth, as did sophomore Rachel Tilford (Birch Hills, Saskatchewan) who reached on a single in the seventh. Tilford hit .400 during the tournament (4-for-10) and Kim finished with a .385 batting average in the five games (5-for-13).

Logan and Miller each drove in three runs in the game for the Wildcats.

Syracuse returns to action on Saturday, Feb. 25 when it begins play at the Breast Cancer Strikeout Classic in Murfreesboro, Tenn. against Middle Tennessee State.