Schloop Walks It Off Versus DU, 3-2, As Softball Gets Program Win No. 900 While Going 3-0 At MCI

OVERVIEW – Ill.-Springfield & Davenport

SCORES: Northwood 10, Ill.-Springfield 1 / Northwood 3, Davenport 2

RECORDS: Northwood (2-0), Ill.-Springfield (5-2)/ Northwood (3-0), Davenport (1-3)

LOCATION: Smyrna, Tenn. – Music City Invitational

RECAP: Northwood softball played their two final games at Trevecca Nazarene's Music City Invitational Saturday (February 17). The Timberwolves' offense took flight in game one versus the Prairie Stars from Ill.-Springfield, besting UIS 10-1 in six innings. In game two, NU's Gabby Schloop walk it off for the Timberwolves in the seventh to prevail 3-2 and earn program win No. 900.

GAME ONE HIGHLIGHTS

• Northwood opened the scoring in the second. Brittany Steimel's triple to righty drove in Karlie Moore from first following her walk, 1-0 NU.
• Still in the second, Jillian Krawczak, Ashlyn Lundquist, and Ashley Ziel would follow with consecutive singles of their own to extend the Northwood lead to 3-0. 
• The Timberwolves continued to tack on in the third. A lead-off walk to Madison Jordan, followed by a single from Steimel let Gabby Schloop knock both in with a triple to center, 5-0 NU. 
• Schloop would later score on a passed ball to put the Timberwolves on top 6-0 at the end of the third.
• The Prairie Stars would tack on their only run of the game in the fifth behind a couple of singles, 6-1 NU.
• The Timberwolves would put the game away in the sixth. Two RBI base hits from Steimel and Fantin put the mercy rule in effect at 10-1 in favor of the blue and white.
• NU's seven hits in the sixth inning alone put the game in the hands of Brynn Polega to nail down her first win of the year in the bottom half of the sixth. Polega did just that, going the distance for Northwood to start the season 2-0.

GAME ONE STATS

• Runs/Hits/Errors: Northwood 10/14/0, Ill.-Springfield 1/6/0
• Runners left on base: Northwood 8, Ill.-Springfield 7
• Winning Pitcher – Brynn Polega (1-0), 6 IP, 6 H, 1 R (1 ER), 3 BB, 1 K
• Losing Pitcher – Alexis Carroll (2-2), 2 IP, 4 H, 4 R (4 ER), 4 BB, 0 K

TOP NU PERFORMERS

• Steimel: 3-4, 3B, 3 RBI, 2 R
• Schloop: 2-3, 3B, 2 RBI, BB, R, SB
• Ziel: 3-4, RBI, R
• Krawczak: 2-4, RBI, 2 BB, R
• Fantin: 1-3, 2 RBI, SAC
• Lundquist: 2-4, R

GAME TWO HIGHLIGHTS

• The Panthers from Davenport walked in the game's first run in the second, but Northwood's defense kept the scoring to a minimum, allowing just one, 1-0 DU.
• Schloop manufactured the Timberwolves' first run of the game. Schloop singled to left before advancing twice on a passed ball and wild pitch. She later scored on Krawczak's sac fly to right to tie the game, 1-1.
• DU would retake the lead in the sixth behind three singles, 2-1 DU.
• The Timberwolves would need late-game heroics to come out on top. In the seventh, down a run, Northwood put runners on second and third behind hits from Jordan and Steimel. With two outs, a full count, and pinch runners (Saylar Cuthrell and Chloe Cooper) on the bases, Schloop's single to center walked it off for the Timberwolves 3-2.
• This win marks softball's program win No. 900 and a 3-0 start to the 2024 season.
• Kamden Binney claimed the victory for her first collegiate win, pitching 1.1 innings in relief and striking out two. 

GAME TWO STATS

• Runs/Hits/Errors: Northwood 3/8/0, Davenport 2/11/0
• Runners left on base: Northwood 3, Davenport 12
• Winning Pitcher – Kamden Binney (1-0), 1.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
• Losing Pitcher – Cecelia Bell (0-1), 6.2 IP, 8 H, 3 R (2 ER), 0 BB, 1 K

TOP NU PERFORMERS

• Schloop: 2-3, 2 RBI, R
• Krawczak: 0-2, RBI
• Jordan: 2-3
• Lillia Sherman: 1-2

UP NEXT

• Softball travels to Evansville, Ind. next weekend (February 23-25) for a six-game stint. Games begin Friday (February 23) with a matchup with No. 10 Indianapolis at 10 AM ET/ 9 AM CT.