Northwestern University Athletics
Northwestern
Purdue
Wildcat Train Keeps Rolling, 7-0
4/17/2005 12:00:00 AM | Softball
April 17, 2005
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- Northwestern completed a sweep of Purdue, 7-0, Sunday afternoon at the Varsity Softball Complex, shutting out the Boilermakers for the second consecutive game.
The Wildcats are now a perfect 12-0 in the Big Ten, having swept all six Conference teams they have faced this season. Overall, Northwestern cracks the 30-win plateau for the third-consecutive year, now sporting a 30-9 overall record.
Purdue is now 28-17 overall, 5-5 in the Big Ten.
After sophomore Eileen Canney (Paradise, Calif./Paradise) tossed a five-inning one-hitter in the first game of the afternoon, junior Courtnay Foster (Tucson, Ariz./Sahuaro) held Purdue to no runs on five hits with one walk and a hit batter. She whiffed nine in the game.
Coupled with Foster's 17-strikeout game against Indiana Saturday, she fanned 26 batters over 14 innings of work on the weekend. The shutout was her seventh of the season and the 22nd of her career.
Foster (14-4) had plenty of offensive help Sunday afternoon. In the bottom of the second inning, junior Sheila McCorkle (Costa Mesa, Calif./Mater Dei) hit a one-out single to left, then advanced to second after freshman Kelly Odell (Portland, Ore./Westview) coaxed a base on balls. A bunt single from freshman Darcy Sengewald (Frankfort, Ill/Lincoln Way East) loaded the bags with one out.
Hot-hitting sophomore Katie Logan (Tempe, Ariz./Corona del Sol) found a different way to drive in a run, drawing the bases-loaded walk to score McCorkle and give Northwestern the first lead of the game, 1-0.
Freshman Stephanie Churchwell (Lake Forest, Calif./El Toro) flirted with a grand slam, driving a ball deep into center field where it was caught on the warning track. Odell trotted home on the sacrifice fly to push NU's lead to 2-0.
The Wildcats added four more runs in the bottom of the fourth inning. Odell drew her second walk of the game, then advanced to second when Churchwell got a two-out infield single.
Senior Erin Mobley (Santa Ana, Calif./Foothill) followed with a fly ball slicing down the left field line that landed inches fair for a double, scoring Odell and Churchwell to make the score 4-0 in favor of the Wildcats.
Sophomore Garland Cooper (Mission Viejo, Calif./Santa Margarita Catholic) then launched the second pitch she saw from Purdue's Diana LaRiva off the scoreboard in right center for her eighth home run of the season to push the advantage to 6-0.
The blast was the 19th of Cooper's career and her second in as many games. She now trails teammate Kristen Amegin (Sacramento, Calif./Elk Grove) by just a single homer for the all-time NU record.
Purdue replaced LaRiva to start the fifth inning, bringing in first-game starter Brooke Baker.
In the bottom of the sixth for NU, Logan reached on an error with one out, then Churchwell and Mobley followed with singles to load the bases for Cooper. The sophomore hit an RBI groundout to plate Logan and give the Wildcats seven runs. Purdue was able to coax another groundout to end the inning and ensure it would be able to bat in the seventh.
LaRiva pitched the first four innings for the Boilers, dropping her record to 9-4 with the loss.
Churchwell and Mobley both finished with a pair of hits for the Wildcats. Odell scored two runs while Cooper had three RBIs and Mobley two.
Northwestern returns to action at 3 p.m. Tuesday with a doubleheader against Bradley at Sharon J. Drysdale Field.
