Northwestern University Athletics
Northwestern
Wisconsin
No. 18 Northwestern Bests Badgers, 3-2
4/10/2005 12:00:00 AM | Softball
April 10, 2005
MADISON, Wis. -- No. 18 Northwestern earned its eighth-straight win with a 3-2 victory over Wisconsin in the second game of a Sunday doubleheader at Goodman Diamond. After a wild, 15-run game in which NU emerged with an 8-7 win during the front end of the afternoon, the second contest was decidedly more subdued.
With the win, Northwestern earns its second-straight sweep of a Conference weekend, improving its Big Ten record to a perfect 8-0. NU is 26-9 overall. Wisconsin falls to 12-17 overall, 3-5 in the League.
The 8-0 Conference start is Northwestern's best in program history. NU's 1984 Big Ten championship team began the League slate 7-0 before a loss to Iowa in its eighth game.
In the bottom of the second, junior Sheila McCorkle (Costa Mesa, Calif./Mater Dei) hit a leadoff single, then advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt by freshman Kelly Odell (Portland Ore./Westview). Freshman Darcy Sengewald (Frankfort, Ill./Lincoln Way East) drew a walk and both runners moved up on a wild pitch.
Freshman Stephanie Churchwell (Lake Forest, Calif./El Toro) then continued her torrid hitting on the day in the bottom of the second, fisting a ball just over the second baseman's head to plate McCorkle and Sengewald.
Churchwell was 4-for-5 in the first game of Sunday's double-dip and finished the second game a perfect 3-for-3.
In the vein of the first game, which saw NU twice rally immediately after being scored upon, Wisconsin evened the score, 2-2, in the top of the third with a two-run home run by Katie Hnatyk.
Churchwell rapped out her third single of the game and seventh hit of the day to lead off the bottom of the fifth inning. She advanced to third when senior Erin Mobley (Santa Ana, Calif./Foothill) laid down a sacrifice bunt and the Wisconsin second baseman could not handle the throw, rendering Mobley safe at first.
Sophomore Garland Cooper (Mission Viejo, Calif./Santa Margarita Catholic) was hit by a pitch to load the bases for junior Jamie Dotson (Santa Ana, Calif./Foothill), who hit a single into right field to drive in Churchwell and give NU the lead, 3-2.
The RBI was the 40th of the season for the Big Ten-leading Dotson.
On the play, some over-aggressive base running by the 'Cats led to a pair of outs after Churchwell crossed the plate. The inning then ended on a flyout.
With a one-run lead in the sixth, junior Courtnay Foster (Tucson, Ariz./Sahuaro) entered the game in relief of starter Eileen Canney (Paradise, Calif./Paradise).
Canney (14-4) earned the win in five innings of work, allowing two runs on four hits with one walk and two strikeouts. Foster earned her second save of the weekend and third of the season with two innings of one-hit ball. She also struck out two.
Katie Layne (2-6) took the loss for Wisconsin.
Northwestern returns to action at 3 p.m. Tuesday with a doubleheader at intra-city rival Loyola.
