April 28, 2010
- Download your Iowa Hawkeye iPhone app!
- Iowa and the Big Ten Network
- Big Ten Network: Free Hawkeye Video
- 24 Hawkeyes to Watch (2009-10 season)
IOWA CITY – The University of Iowa softball team dropped a wild game Wednesday at Pearl Field, falling to Northern Iowa, 8-7 in eight innings. The loss drops Iowa to 23-17 overall while Northern Iowa improves to 25-20.
Iowa plated the first run of the game in the bottom of the third inning. Senior Lindsey Digmann tallied a two-out infield single and then stole second base. Digmann scored on a slap single up the middle by senior Taylor Leichsenring.
Northern Iowa’s offense came alive in the top of the fifth, plating seven runs to take a 7-1 advantage. Hannah Borschel hit her first home run of the season to start the fifth. The Panthers then took advantage of a Hawkeye error and four base on balls, all with two outs, to plate six additional runs. Livi Abney recorded an RBI double, and a bases loaded walk by Lindsay Callanan gave Northern Iowa a 3-1 lead. Courtney Dunker made the score 7-1 with a grand slam to straight-away center field.
Iowa clawed back into the game in the bottom of the sixth, plating five runs on three hits while sending 11 batters to the plate, making the count 7-6. Senior Liz Watkins drew a leadoff walk, followed by a single by sophomore Katie Keim. Freshman Johnnie Dowling was hit by a pitch to load the bases for senior Jenny Schuelke, who drew a bases loaded walk to plate the first run of the frame. The bases stayed loaded for junior Chelsey Carmody, who delivered a two-RBI double to left field to cut the deficit to 7-5. Leichsenring brought the Hawkeyes to within one run at 7-6 with a slap single up the middle that scored Carmody.
Carmody sent the game to extra innings with a two-out, solo home run in the bottom of the seventh to tie the game at seven. Carmody’s seventh home run of the season hit the top of the fence in left-center, bounced straight up in the air and had just enough to fall over the fence to give all 702 fans at Pearl Field some free softball.
Northern Iowa scored in the top of the eighth with an RBI single to left by Kim Wachholder and the Panthers retired Iowa in order in the bottom of the frame for the win.
Four Hawkeyes collected two hits, including Digmann, Leichsenring, Keim and Brown. Brown added three RBI while Leichsenring drove in two.
Senior Amanda Zust tossed eight innings in the loss. She allowed five earned runs on 10 hits with four strikeouts and six walks. Freshman Chelsea Lyon faced two batters in the fifth, walking both.
Iowa returns to Big Ten action this weekend, hosting 19th-ranked Ohio State Saturday and Sunday. Game one is scheduled for a 2 p.m. first pitch Saturday.