No. 14 Northwestern Tops Michigan State, 5-0

Friday, April 28

East Lansing, Mich.

3:00 PM

Northwestern

34-10, 12-2

Michigan State

33-20, 8-7

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

No. 14 Northwestern Tops Michigan State, 5-0

4/28/2006 12:00:00 AM | Softball

Box Score

April 28, 2006

EAST LANSING, Mich. -- No. 14 Northwestern took full advantage of a pair of Michigan State errors to post a five-run fourth inning en route to a 5-0 win against the Spartans Friday afternoon at Old College Field.

With the win, the Wildcats push their season-best winning streak to nine and improve to 34-10 overall, 12-2 in the Big Ten. The Spartans now are 33-20 on the year, 8-7 in the conference.

Northwestern starter Eileen Canney (Paradise, Calif./Paradise), who made national headlines with an NCAA single-game record 28 strikeouts Sunday at Minnesota, picked up her next strikeout milestone in the bottom of the first inning. Canney fanned the third batter of the game to reach 250 for the season, matching teammate Courtnay Foster's (Tucson, Ariz./Sahuaro) 250 `K' season in 2005 for fourth on the Wildcats' single-season list.

In the top of the fourth inning, Northwestern jumped on top big by taking advantage of several MSU mistakes. Freshman Tammy Williams (El Dorado Springs, Mo./Osceola) reached first to lead off the frame on an error by the Michigan State shortstop.

The Spartans then refused to pitch to junior Garland Cooper (Mission Viejo, Calif./Santa Margarita Catholic), moving Williams into scoring position on Cooper's second intentional walk of the game.

Two outs later, senior Sheila McCorkle (Costa Mesa, Calif./Mater Dei) made Michigan State pay, ripping a triple into right-center field to score both Williams and Cooper and give the Wildcats a 2-0 lead.

Freshman Erin Dyer (Homer Glen, Ill./Lockport) followed with a single into left to plate McCorkle. Senior Ashley Crane (Sammamish, Wash./Eastlake) single Dyer to third, then stole second herself. Another error from the Michigan State shortstop on a slow grounder by sophomore Darcy Sengewald (Frankfort, Ill./Lincoln Way East) allowed both Dyer and Crane to scamper home and extend Northwestern's advantage to five, 5-0. All five of the runs were unearned.

In the top of the fifth, Michigan State elected to pitch to Cooper with one out and nobody on base, and the reigning Big Ten Player of the Year responded by slicing a triple into the left-field corner. Megan Hair then entered the game in the circle in relief of Spartan starter Rachel Turney. Hair escaped the inning with no damage done.

With two three-baggers in the game, the Wildcats doubled their team-season total after entering the contest with just one on the year.

Meanwhile in the circle, Canney was being Canney. The junior was perfect through four innings, allowing a fifth-inning leadoff double for the Spartans only hit of the game. Canney's defense chipped in to preserve the shutout, with Sengewald making a jumping spear of a high-bouncer before throwing to first for out number one. McCorkle then ran in to make a grab on a liner, gassing a throw to second to double-up the runner and end the inning.

Canney did not allow another base runner the entire game, finishing with her 12th shutout of the season. She struck out nine and walked none to improve her record to 16-5 on the year. Because of the fifth-inning double play, Canney faced the minimum in the game.

Northwestern faces Michigan State again at noon CT tomorrow, Saturday, April 29.