Northwestern University Athletics
Northwestern
Ohio State
Four Wildcat Homers Blast Buckeyes, 5-3
4/14/2007 12:00:00 AM | Softball
April 14, 2007
EVANSTON, Ill. -- Behind four Northwestern home runs, including two from senior Garland Cooper (Mission Viejo, Calif./Santa Margarita Catholic), the seventh-ranked Wildcats bested Ohio State Saturday afternoon at Sharon J. Drysdale Field, 5-3.
The win improves Northwestern to 32-8 overall on the year, 7-2 in the conference. Ohio State's loss was its first in Big Ten play, dropping the Buckeyes to 5-1, 22-14 overall.
Cooper, who entered the weekend ranked second in the nation with 0.42 home runs per game this season, now has 18 on the year and an even 50 for her career. She is one homer shy of the Big Ten's all-time record. The multi-homer game was her third of the season and the fifth of her career.
Her two RBIs in the game give her 52 on the season, tying the NU single-season record set by Jamie Dotson in 2005.
With its four homers in the game, Northwestern as a team has 56 this year, matching its single-season school record set in 2005. The Wildcats entered the weekend ranked second in the nation in home runs per game with 1.34.
Cooper opened the game's scoring in the first inning, driving a two-out pitch over the left-field fence for her 17th home run of the season and a 1-0 Northwestern lead.
In the second inning, sophomore Jessica Rigas (River Forest, Ill./Oak Park River Forest) followed Cooper's act with a home run of her own off OSU starter Jamee Juarez, blasting a one-out offering to left to stake the Wildcats to a two-run lead, 2-0.
Rigas' home run was her sixth of the season and her fourth in Big Ten play, ranking second in the conference behind Cooper's five.
Northwestern threatened again in the top of the third, getting two base runners on with one out after senior Katie Logan (Tempe, Ariz./Corona del Sol) reached on an error and sophomore Tammy Williams (Roscoe, Mo./Osceola) singled to third. One out later, freshman Nicole Pauly (Palatine, Ill./Palatine) singled through the right side, but a strong throw to the plate nailed Logan trying to score to end the inning.
Ohio State got one run back in the bottom of the third, hitting a solo home run off Northwestern starter Lauren Delaney (Jefferson City, Mo./Helias) to make the score 2-1.
After a scoreless fourth inning for both teams, junior Darcy Sengewald (Frankfort, Ill./Lincoln Way East) drew a one-out walk in the fifth to chase Juarez from the game in favor of Courtney Pruner in the circle for the Buckeyes. Pruner retired the first two Wildcats she faced to end the frame.
In the bottom half of the fifth, Ohio State tied the game with the game's fourth solo home run. After a one-out single back up the middle, Northwestern head coach Kate Drohan brought senior Eileen Canney (Paradise, Calif./Paradise) in to relieve Delaney.
In the top of the sixth, Northwestern loaded the bases with one out against Pruner. Cooper led off the inning with a hit by pitch, then was replaced at first base by pinch runner Aly Euler (River Forest, Ill./Oak Park River Forest). Pauly sacrificed Euler to second, then Erin Dyer (Homer Glen, Ill./Lockport) reached base on an error by the centerfielder.
Rigas drew a four-pitch walk to load the bases, then Ohio State appeared to bring Juarez back in to pitch. After several warm-up pitches, several visits to the circle and a lengthy conference, however, Pruner remained in the circle and Juarez moved to right field. Pruner retired the next batter she faced, then Juarez (9-8) was substituted back to the circle. She set down the next batter on a diving catch of a foul ball by the catcher to end the frame with no NU runs.
Canney held Ohio State scoreless in the bottom of the sixth, then Sengewald led off the top of the seventh with a sharp grounder to third. The throw whizzed over the first baseman, allowing Sengewald to reach second on the error. Logan sacrificed Sengewald over to third, then Williams smashed the ball so hard, it sailed through the uprights of the goalposts on the practice football field beyond the right-field fence for a two-run home run and a 4-2 NU lead.
Williams' blast was her 11th of the season.
Not to be outdone, Cooper stepped to the plate and crushed a line-drive home run off the Welsh-Ryan Arena wall in left-center to make the score 5-2.
In the bottom half of the seventh, Ohio State loaded the bases with one out on two walks and an infield single. Canney got a three-pitch strikeout for the second out of the frame before a single into left plated one runner and made the NU lead two, 5-3.
Canney then coaxed a tapper back to herself, and she flipped to Cooper at first to end the game. Canney earned the win to move to 17-8 on the year, pitching 2.2 innings of relief and allowing one run on two hits and three walks with two strikeouts. Delaney went 4.1 innings for the 'Cats, allowing two runs on six hits and three walks with six strikeouts.
Williams and Cooper both finished with a pair of hits and two RBIs for Northwestern, while Cooper also scored twice.
Northwestern returns to action at noon CT tomorrow, Sunday, April 15, with a doubleheader against Penn State at Sharon J. Drysdale Field. As a side note, today's game was not streamed live on NUsports.com due to equipment concerns in the cold temperatures forecasted earlier in the week.
