April 22

Box Score

Northwestern College scored four runs in the bottom of the sixth to force extra innings and then won it with an unearned run in the seventh as they tied Northland College for atop the UMAC standings with a 9-8 win in Duluth, MN.

The Eagles moved to 19-9 overall and 12-2 in the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference while the Jills fell to 15-14 and also 12-2 in conference play.

Becky Walters gave the LumberJills a 1-0 lead in the first inning with a run-scoring single and an unearned run scored by Brittany Schmitt in the second made it 2-0.  Northland added two more in the third on a two-run double by Stephanie Langfeldt and looked as if they were in complete control.

But in the fourth, the Eagles rallied for four runs on three hits, but all the runs were unearned as two costly LumberJill errors enabled Northwestern to tie the game at 4-4.

Walters started a four-run fifth for the Jills with a double.  After a strikeout, Schmitt shook off the defensive breakdown the previous inning with her second homerun of the season.  A RBI double from Aurora Albrecht gave Northland a 7-4 lead and two batters later, the lead again moved to four as Amanda Seely scored on a wild pitch.

Northwestern started the sixth inning rally with a leadoff double and a walk.  An error loaded with bases with no one out.  A bases clearing double made it 8-7 and still with none out.  With one out, a run-scoring double plated the tying run to force extra innings.

The Jills had two hits and the go-ahead runner at third in the top of the seventh, but were unable to sore.  The Eagles started the bottom half of the inning with two singles.  But then two consecutive Northland errors allowed the game-winning run to come around and score.

Overall, the LumberJills pounded out 15 hits, but stranded 11 runners in the game.  Katie Zaban went 3-4 with two runs scored, while Albrecht, Walters, Schmitt and Karen Harnisch each added two hits.  Schmitt was the hard luck loser as just three of the nine runs she allowed were earned.