Wildcats Dismiss Lady Volunteers at World Series, 2-0

Friday, June 2

Oklahoma City, Okla.

8:00 PM

Northwestern

49-13

Tennessee

59-11

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

Wildcats Dismiss Lady Volunteers at World Series, 2-0

6/2/2006 12:00:00 AM | Softball

Box Score

June 2, 2006

OKLAHOMA CITY -- In Friday's two winner's bracket games at the Women's College World Series, four pitchers threw every inning for their individual schools. Three of them were the trio of finalists for the USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year award. The other was Northwestern junior Eileen Canney (Paradise, Calif./Paradise) -- and she outshone them all.

Facing the nation's top offense in No. 8 seed Tennessee, Canney held the Lady Vols to just a single hit -- the first time anyone has held them under four hits in a game all season - in a 2-0 Northwestern win that gives the program its first back-to-back WCWS wins in program history. The shutout was only the third time Tennessee had been held scoreless all season.

Canney allowed a pair of walks to go along with the one hit and struck out 10 batters to improve to 25-7 on the season. Northwestern improves to 49-13 on the year with the win.

On Saturday, the loser's brackets will play out to eliminate four teams from the eight-team field to determine who will face a pair of Wildcat squads for a berth in the best two-of-three championship series. No. 2 seed Arizona and Alicia Hollowell defeated No. 3 seed Texas and Cat Osterman, 2-0, in Friday's first game.

With the bracket crossover by Friday's losers, No. 1 UCLA, No. 3 Texas and No. 5 Alabama now will fight to face No. 4 Northwestern at 2 p.m. CT Sunday on ESPN. The team advancing to Sunday must defeat the Wildcats twice to advance to the title series.

Friday's game between Tennessee and Northwestern began as advertised: a pitcher's duel between Canney and Player of the Year finalist Monica Abbott. Both pitcher's mowed down the opposition, with NU freshman Erin Dyer (Homer Glen, Ill./Lockport) recording the game's first hit on a single in the second.

Northwestern put together the game's first real threat in the top of the fourth inning. With one out, junior All-American Garland Cooper (Mission Viejo, Calif./Santa Margarita Catholic) drew a walk, then moved to second when senior Jamie Dotson (Santa Ana, Calif./Foothill) ripped a single back up the middle.

Abbott (42-9) would fan the next two batters, however, to end the inning.

In the top of the sixth, Northwestern finally broke through. Junior Katie Logan (Tempe, Ariz./Corona del Sol) led off the frame with a slap single up the middle, then moved to second one out later when Cooper was issued her second walk of the day.

With two outs in the inning, senior Kristen Amegin (West Sacramento, Calif./Elk Grove) drove a single back up the middle to score Logan from second and give Northwestern a 1-0 lead.

In the bottom half of the frame, Tennessee immediately mounted a rally. Jennifer Griffin led off the inning with a walk, then moved to second when pinch-hitter Liane Horiuchi was hit by a pitch. Canney got the next batter to ground out to short, but both runners advanced to put Vols on second and third with just one gone.

Tennessee elected to replace its No. 2 batter with a pinch-hitter, and Canney promptly whiffed her for the second out of the frame. The next batter hit a low line drive to short and freshman Tammy Williams (Roscoe, Mo./Osceola) bent down to glove it and end the inning with no damage done.

In the top of the seventh, sophomore Darcy Sengewald (Frankfort, Ill./Lincoln Way East) added some insurance. The Wildcats' No. 9 batter turned on an inside pitch and absolutely crushed it over the fence in left-center make the score 2-0. The jack, her third of the season, came with two outs -- giving NU a two-out, seventh-inning home run in each of its first two WCWS contests.

Battling through an 11-pitch at-bat to begin the seventh, Canney fanned the first Lady Vol before making quick work of the next with a three-pitch strikeout. A flyout to Logan in left ended the game and sent the Wildcats into Sunday's final four.

Canney's shutout was the 29th of her career, tying her with teammate Courtnay Foster (Tucson, Ariz./Sahuaro) for fourth on Northwestern's all-time list.