Northwestern University Athletics
Northwestern
47-13
Massachusetts
41-16
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | Runs R | Hits H | Errors E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Northwestern | 1 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 9 | 13 | 0 |
| Massachusetts | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Wildcats World Series Bound!
5/27/2006 12:00:00 AM | Softball
May 27, 2006
EVANSTON, Ill. --It's official: Oklahoma City can start wearing purple! For the first time in 20 years, the Northwestern Wildcats have advanced to the Women's College World Series after sweeping two games from Massachusetts Saturday afternoon at Sharon J. Drysdale Field.
After forcing a third game in the series with a 4-2 win earlier in the day, the Wildcats pounded out 13 hits -- every one of them a single -- in the rubber match to eliminate the Minutewomen with a 9-0, five-inning mercy-rule victory.
The trip to the World Series is the fourth in Northwestern history and its first since 1986, when the Wildcats also defeated the Minutewomen in a best two-of-three series to advance. NU made three-consecutive appearances at the event from 1984-86 under legendary head coach Sharon J. Drysdale.
The Wildcats will face No. 5 seed Alabama in their first WCWS contest. The game will take place at 6 p.m. CT June 1, which is different from the 8 p.m. start time originally publicized.
Northwestern took the lead immediately in the top of the first, taking a contest's initial advantage for the first time in the series.
With two outs, junior Garland Cooper (Mission Viejo, Calif./Santa Margarita Catholic) drew a walk, then moved to second on a single by senior Jamie Dotson (Santa Ana, Calif./Foothill). Senior Kristen Amegin (West Sacramento, Calif./Elk Grove) followed with a single of her own to plate Cooper for a quick 1-0 Wildcat lead.
With UMass starter Brandice Balschmiter throwing her third-consecutive game against the 'Cats, Northwestern began to light up the freshman in the second. Freshman Erin Dyer (Homer Glen, Ill./Lockport) led off the frame with a single up the middle, then moved to second on a bunt single by sophomore Darcy Sengewald (Frankfort, Ill./Lincoln Way East).
Junior Katie Logan (Tempe, Ariz./Corona del Sol) hit a bouncing ball to short that went for another single to load the bases with one out.
Freshman Tammy Williams (Roscoe, Mo./Osceola) drove home both Dyer and Sengewald with a bullet single down the left-field line, extending the Wildcats' cushion to three, 3-0, after the second inning.
In the circle, Northwestern starter Eileen Canney (Paradise, Calif./Paradise) was dominant. She fanned the side in the second inning and struck out five in the first trip through the UMass order. She allowed a bunt single to Candice Molinari in the first, but Dotson laced a throw to Williams to catch Molinari stealing later in the frame.
Northwestern unloaded in the fourth, sending 11 batters to the plate and scoring six runs on seven hits and a walk to move the contest into run-rule territory. Senior Ashley Crane (Sammamish, Wash./Eastlake) led off with a single up the middle, then moved to second when Sengewald drew a walk. Logan followed with a single through the right side of the infield to score Crane and move Sengewald to third.
Williams stepped to the plate still with no outs, and ripped a line drive to short that Stacy Cullington leapt for, but it glanced off her glove and into right field to score Sengewald and make it a 5-0 ballgame.
After Cooper moved both runners up a base with a groundout, Dotson ripped a single into right center to score both Logan and Williams. Freshman Ann Schraufnagel (Oak Park, Ill./Oak Park River Forest) replaced Dotson at first. Amegin followed Dotson's single with one of her own to move Schraufnagel to third. Freshman Gina Gonzalez (LaVerne, Calif./Bonita) pinch ran for Amegin.
Singles from McCorkle and Crane drove home both pinch runners to end the inning with the Wildcats ahead by nine, 9-0.
UMass replaced Balschmiter in the circle with Jenna Busa to begin the fifth.
Canney finished the game with her eighth one-hit shutout of the season, striking out six and walking none to move to 24-7 on the year.
Balschmiter allowed all nine runs on 13 hits with two walks to fall to 32-9 on the year.
Williams finished the game 2-for-3 with three RBIs and a run scored. Logan, Dotson, Amegin and Crane also had two hits each. Dotson drove in a pair of runs, while Sengewald scored twice.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Canney, Eileen (24-7)
L: Brandice Balschmiter (32-9)
Batting:
RBI: Logan, Katie 1 ; Williams, Tammy 3 ; Dotson, Jamie 2 ; Amegin, Kristen 1 ; McCorkle, Sheila 1 ; Crane, Ashley 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Logan, Katie 1 ; Williams, Tammy 1 ; Cooper, Garland 1 ; Schraufnagel, Ann 1 ; Gonzalez, Gina 1 ; Dyer, Erin 1 ; Crane, Ashley 1 ; Sengewald, Darcy 2
Base Running:
CS: Candice Molinari 1
