No. 18 Northwestern Outranks No. 1 UCLA, 3-2

Sunday, March 26

Los Angeles, Calif.

3:00 PM

Northwestern

18-8

UCLA

28-2

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	Runs R	Hits H	Errors E
Northwestern	0	0	0	1	0	1	1	3	6	2
UCLA	0	1	0	0	0	1	0	2	3	1

No. 18 Northwestern Outranks No. 1 UCLA, 3-2

3/27/2006 12:00:00 AM | Softball

Box Score

March 26, 2006

LOS ANGELES, Calif. -- Playing its final game of a 10-contest, 11-day spring break road trip through Hawaii and California, No. 18 Northwestern saved its most exciting performance for last. The Wildcats and their healthy contingent of fans invaded Easton Stadium Sunday afternoon and walked out with a 3-2 victory over No. 1 UCLA.

The win is the first in Northwestern history over a team ranked No. 1 in the nation since a victory over Washington in 2000. The Wildcats' last previous best win over a ranked opponent was a 2-1 victory against then-No. 2 California at last season's Capital Classic.

Northwestern now is 18-8 on the season, and concludes its spring break trip with an 8-2 record. UCLA suffers just its second loss on the season, and now is 28-2.

In the bottom of the second inning, the Bruins scored the game's first run on a solo home run to right field.

With UCLA starter Angelica Selden throwing a perfect game through the first 3.2 innings, Northwestern junior Garland Cooper (Mission Viejo, Calif./Santa Margarita Catholic) stepped to the plate in the fourth and launched a solo home run deep over the center-field wall to knot the score, 1-1.

Wildcat starter Eileen Canney (Paradise, Calif./Paradise) did her part to keep a tight game tight, retiring seven-consecutive Bruins at one point. She allowed just a walk in the fifth to account for UCLA's lone base runner heading into the sixth after the Cooper home run.

In the top of the sixth, Northwestern took the lead. Freshman Tammy Williams (El Dorado Springs, Mo./Osceola) drew a leadoff walk, then advanced to second on a slapping sacrifice from junior Katie Logan (Tempe, Ariz./Corona del Sol).

With two outs in the inning, senior Kristen Amegin (West Sacramento, Calif./Elk Grove) drove a single right back through the circle and into center field, scoring Williams from second to stake the Wildcats to a one-run lead, 2-1.

The Bruins tied the game again in the bottom half of the inning, again on a solo home run.

With a good-sized crowd of 810 stomping up a sound like a strong Midwestern storm, the Wildcats stole the thunder back in the seventh. Senior Sheila McCorkle (Costa Mesa, Calif./Mater Dei) led off the inning with a perfect bunt single to third base, bringing freshman Erin Dyer (Homer Glen, Ill./Lockport) to the plate.

Dyer hit a high chopper to Selden in the circle that the pitcher knocked down, but she then airmailed a late throw to first to send both runners up a base. Dyer was credited with her second single of the game on the play.

With runners at second and third, senior Ashley Crane (Sammamish, Wash./Eastlake) chopped a single into left field to plate McCorkle and give Northwestern back the lead, 3-2. A series of fielder's choice balls then ended the inning with no further Wildcat scores.

In the bottom half of the frame, the leadoff Bruin hit a tricky grounder back to Canney in the circle, reaching on an error. She then was sacrificed over to second base before Canney got pinch hitter Danielle Peterson to fly out to center field.

It then took Canney just three pitches to strike out Andrea Duran to end the game.

Canney's record improves to 8-4 on the year with the win. She allowed the two runs on just three hits with two walks and six strikeouts.

Selden falls to 15-2 on the season.

Northwestern is next in action at 3 p.m. Friday, March 31, in its home and Big Ten opener against Wisconsin at Sharon J. Drysdale Field.