March 11, 2006
SUNNYVALE, CA – – Senior pitcher Ali Arnold threw a perfect game and the Iowa softball team pounded out 16 hits en route to a 15-0 five-inning victory over St. Francis Saturday night in the Hawkeyes’ first game of the National Invitational Softball Tournament.
Arnold registered her second career no-hitter in throwing five perfect innings. The native of Bloomington, IL, struck out eight batters and walked none en route to perfection in the circle.
Iowa (9-7) scored in all four innings it batted. The Hawkeyes tallied five runs in both the first and second innings, two in the third and three in the bottom of the fourth.
Ten Hawkeyes recorded at least one hit, while four players collected multiple RBI in the victory. Leading Iowa was sophomore Emily Nichols. Nichols went 2-for-4 with four RBI and three runs scored. The native of Portland, OR, tallied a two-run homerun in the third inning and a two-run double in the fourth. The homerun was her second of the season and 18th of her career.
Junior Sami Baugh was 1-for-3, collecting three RBI and two runs scored. Freshman Quinn Morelock was 2-for-3, with two RBI and junior Mindy Heidgerken was 2-for-3, with two RBI and two runs scored. Table setters senior Stacy May and freshman Erin Riemersma were a combined 5-for-8 with five runs scored and one RBI. May lead off the bottom of the second with a solo homerun; her first of the season and 18th of her career.
In addition to allowing 16 Hawkeye hits, St. Francis (0-8) had four fielding errors.
GAME SUMMARYSt. Francis 000 00 -- 0 0 4Iowa 552 3x -- 15 16 0
WP - Arnold (4-3)LP - Havdoglous (0-5)