Photos by Natalie Krebs
After being donned National Player of the Week, sophomore pitcher Amy Letourneau was expected to continue her dominance against crosstown rival Loyola Tuesday. She didn’t disappoint.
Letourneau struck out 12 in a three-hit complete game, but the Wildcats couldn’t crack the scoreboard, falling 1-0 to the Ramblers at Sharon J. Drysdale Field. Loyola junior Lauren Moore took a first-pitch fastball from Letourneau in the sixth inning for a go-ahead home run, while junior pitcher Brittany Gardner tossed a dazzling complete game shutout.
“It was a bad pitch. You throw one bad pitch and you pay for it,” Letourneau said after the game. “I’ve been trying to attack the no. 3 hitter more.”
Northwestern (16-14, 2-3 Big Ten) put just three runners on base after averaging over six runs a game in last weekend’s series with Minnesota. Loyola (12-11, 1-2 Horizon) didn’t have much more success at the plate, but Moore’s bomb proved to be the difference. Moore also made a diving catch in the third to rob a hit.
Wildcat junior Marisa Bast sent a two-out pitch to deep center in the bottom of the first inning. Despite strong wind, the ball was deep enough to clear the fence, but Rambler center fielder Annie Korth reached out and robbed the Wildcats of a home run. It was just that kind of day.
“When we had our opportunities, we didn’t take advantage,” head coach Kate Drohan said after the game. “These are the kind of ballgames we expect down the stretch.” When asked about recent futility against Loyola, Drohan didn’t hesitate to point right to Gardner’s pitching prowess.
The ‘Cats put runners on second multiple times, but couldn’t bring a run home. Sophomore Andrea DiPrima belted a double to the left-center gap in the fifth inning, while sophomore outfielder Olivia Duehr notched a base hit and stole second on a botched hit-and-run in the bottom of the sixth. However, Gardner gunned down Kristin Sharkey and induced a ground out to first from pinch-hitter Meghan Lamberth to escape trouble.
Letourneau nearly redeemed the offense in the bottom of the seventh, drilling a ball to the wall that sliced past the right-field foul line. She would pop out two pitches later, putting the Wildcats down to their final out.
It came down to sophomore shortstop Anna Edwards, one of the team’s most powerful hitters, sent a long fly ball toward the warning track, but was a few feet short of a dramatic game-tying home run.
Still two games above .500, Northwestern won’t rest any time soon. The Wildcats host Big Ten rival Illinois for a three-game tilt starting Friday.
“The team’s been playing awesome behind me. We’ve improved and we’ve figured out how other teams hit the ball off me,” Letourneau said. “I can pull so much confidence from the defense.”