Northwestern University Athletics
Northwestern
Michigan
No. 1 Wolverines Outduel Northwestern, 3-0
5/7/2005 12:00:00 AM | Softball
May 7, 2005
Box Score
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- No. 19 Northwestern shut down a powerful Michigan offense Saturday night at Alumni Field, but a Wildcat error, wild pitch and the only hard-hit UM ball of the afternoon resulted in a 3-0 victory for the No.1-ranked Wolverines.
With the loss, Northwestern falls to 37-13 overall on the season, 15-2 in the Big Ten. Michigan improves to 51-4, 14-2 in the conference. The teams have a rematch at noon CT tomorrow, May 8, with the winner of that game taking home the Big Ten title.
The game featuring two of the top-hitting teams in the Big Ten was a showcase of pitching. Northwestern sophomore Eileen Canney (Paradise, Calif./Paradise) whiffed six of the first nine batters she faced, with senior Erin Mobley (Santa Ana, Calif./Foothill) catching a fly ball from Jessica Merchant in the first on the only ball Canney allowed to reach the outfield through the first four innings.
Michigan starter Jennie Ritter was also impressive, allowing only a two-out, first-inning single up the middle by Big Ten batting leader Garland Cooper (Mission Viejo, Calif./Santa Margarita Catholic). Mobley did unleash the farthest hits in the early going, twice launching balls with home run distance a few feet foul.
In the top of the fourth, Cooper again laced a ball toward the gap, but center-fielder Alessandra Giampaolo tracked it down with a lunge to her right to record the out.
In the bottom half of the inning, Canney got leadoff batter Tiffany Haas to strike out. The whiff was Canney's sixth in a row, but even more impressive, it was only the third time in 191 at-bats this entire season that Haas has gone down on strikes.
Michigan got its first hit when Giampaolo dinked a ball down the first base line in the fourth that no Wildcat could get to, but Canney stranded her on first base.
Junior Kristen Amegin (Sacramento, Calif./Elk Grove) led off the fifth with a Texas-league single into right field, then was replaced by pinch runner Ashley Crane (Sammamish, Wash./Eastlake). The inning would end with Crane still on first.
The Wolverines got their second hit of the game in the bottom of the frame, an infield jobber from Stephanie Bercaw. The next batter hit a comebacker, but the throw sailed into right field allowing Bercaw to come all the way around and score to give Michigan a 1-0 lead.
Michigan added a second run in the bottom of the sixth after a single and a triple to center from Merchant. She would later come home on a wild pitch.
Canney (18-6) took the loss despite pitching a fantastic ballgame. She held the Big Ten's leading team at the plate (batting .327 as a squad) and the second-best homer-bashing team in the nation to just four hits -- two of the infield variety -- while striking out seven. Just two of UM's three runs were earned.
Ritter got the win for Michigan, upping her record to 26-1.
