Cal State Fullerton Tops No. 18 Northwestern, 6-3

Thursday, March 23

Fullerton, Calif.

6:00 PM

Northwestern

16-7

Cal State Fullerton

17-5

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	Runs R	Hits H	Errors E
Northwestern	0	0	1	0	0	0	2	3	5	2
Cal State Fullerton	2	3	0	1	0	0	X	6	6	1

Cal State Fullerton Tops No. 18 Northwestern, 6-3

3/23/2006 12:00:00 AM | Softball

Box Score

March 23, 2006

FULLERTON, Calif. -- No. 18 Northwestern absolutely hit the cover off the ball Thursday night in the first game of a doubleheader at Cal State Fullerton, but the Titans got some outstanding defense and timely ground balls to defeat the Wildcats, 6-3.

The game was the third meeting of the season between the nonconference opponents, with Northwestern winning the first two.

The Wildcats overall record falls to 16-7 with the loss, snapping their seven-game winning streak. The Titans improve to 17-15 with the win.

Fullerton took the first lead of the game in the bottom of the first. A leadoff walk followed by a Northwestern error on a sacrifice bunt attempt put runners on first and third with no outs. The next Titan batter hit a sacrifice fly to right field to plate the runner at third for a 1-0 advantage. Fullerton added one more in the inning on a two-out single to right.

Fullerton pushed its advantage to five, 5-0, in the bottom of the second, driving in three runs on a pair of two-out singles. Senior Courtnay Foster (Tucson, Ariz./Sahuaro) entered the circle in relief of the Wildcats' starter, junior Eileen Canney (Paradise, Calif./Paradise), and got the final batter of the inning to ground out to third.

Northwestern earned a run in the top of the third, bypassing the Fullerton defense entirely. With a full count, senior Ashley Crane (Sammamish, Wash./Eastlake) drove her second home run of the season over the left-centerfield fence to lead off the inning and make the score 5-1.

Sophomore Darcy Sengewald (Frankfort, Ill./Lincoln Way East) followed Crane with a bloop single into right, then moved to second when freshman Tammy Williams (El Dorado Springs, Mo./Osceola) drew her second walk of the game. Junior Katie Logan (Tempe, Ariz./Corona del Sol) promptly loaded the bases with a bouncing grounder to short that was mishandled for an error.

Titan starter Brooke Baker, however, was able retire the next three batters to snuff the Wildcats' rally out at one run.

Fullerton got that run back in the fourth when Foster hit a batter in the ribs with the bases loaded to make the home team's lead five again, 6-1.

Northwestern attempted to get some runs back in the fifth, absolutely creaming the ball off Baker, but the Fullerton pitcher's outfield made some outstanding defensive plays in her support. Sengewald led off the frame with a hard, sinking liner into center for a sure single, but Whitney Kroh flashed in to make a shoestring catch of the ball. Williams then hit a deep fly ball into the corner that was caught right at the fence to take away a possible home run. Not to be out-robbed, Logan lined a ball deep into left that rightfielder Molly Perez made a leaping, over-the-shoulder grab of for out number three.

The Titans continued to take away hits in the sixth and seventh, robbing another home run from the Wildcats, this one a ball tracked down at the fence off the bat of senior Kristen Amegin (West Sacramento, Calif./Elk Grove) in the sixth inning. Leading off the seventh, senior Sheila McCorkle (Costa Mesa, Calif./Mater Dei) hit a ball into the left-centerfield gap that Kroh caught with a full layout dive.

Crane found a crack in the Titan wall with a two-out single through the left side in the seventh, then advanced to second on a Sengewald walk. Williams followed with a double into left-center to drive in two runs and cut the Fullerton lead to three, 6-3.

Logan then stepped to the plate, and -- following the theme of the night -- lined the ball to third base where Yvette Fernandez stuck out her glove and made a look-what-I-found catch to end the game.

Foster pitched effectively in relief for Northwestern, allowing one unearned run, two hits and two walks while striking out five. Canney (6-3) was saddled with the loss.

Crane finished the game 2-for-3 for the 'Cats with a home run and a single. Junior Garland Cooper (Mission Viejo, Calif./Santa Margarita Catholic) smacked a first-inning double for NU off the top of the outfield fence. Williams was 1-for-2 with a double, two RBIs and two walks.