April 29, 2007

Box Score

EVANSTON, Ill. -- Facing the nation's leading home run hitting team, it was No. 8 Northwestern showcasing its power Sunday afternoon in a 12-4, five-inning victory over Illinois in the first game of a doubleheader at Sharon J. Drysdale Field.

The Wildcats moved to 40-10 on the season with the victory, 14-3 in the conference. Northwestern now has recorded 40 wins in each of the last three seasons. Illinois falls to 29-22, 7-6 with the loss.

Illinois opened the game's scoring in the top of the first, taking advantage of some early wildness by Northwestern starter Eileen Canney (Paradise, Calif./Paradise) to plate two runs with no hits. The Illini drew four walks and scored twice on wild pitches to take a 2-0 lead in the game.

The Wildcats wasted no time striking back with a run in the bottom half of the frame. Senior Katie Logan (Tempe, Ariz./Corona del Sol) smacked the first pitch she saw from Illinois starter Vicki Brown to the fence in right field for a leadoff triple. Senior Garland Cooper (Mission Viejo, Calif./Santa Margarita Catholic) was hit by a pitch one out later, then freshman Nicole Pauly (Palatine, Ill./Palatine) roped a single into left to plate Logan and cut the deficit to one, 2-1.

Northwestern added three more in the bottom of the second courtesy of Cooper's 21st home run of the season. Freshman Kelly Dyer (Homer Glen, Ill./Lockport) led off the frame with a bloop single into left, then moved to second one out later when Logan tapped a single back to the pitcher.

Then with two outs, Cooper stepped the plate and annihilated a 3-2 pitch onto the batting cages beyond right-center field to push the 'Cats into the lead, 4-2. The four-bagger was the 53rd of Cooper's career, moving the Big Ten's all-time leader into the top-20 in NCAA history. Her 21 blasts this year match the conference single-season record.

The three RBIs Cooper earned on the swing gave her 201 for her career.

Illinois replaced Brown in the circle with Claire DeVreese to begin the third, but the Wildcats still scored for the third-consecutive inning. With one out, sophomore Jessica Rigas (River Forest, Ill./Oak Park River Forest) drew a walk, then was replaced by pinch runner Ashley Lafever (Bettendorf, Iowa/Pleasant Valley). After Lafever moved up a bag on a wild pitch, Kelly Dyer hit a squirrely two-out one-hopper toward first that was mishandled for an error to score Lafever and make NU's lead three, 5-2.

Illinois scored two runs in the top of the fourth after a one-out double, a pair of walks and two singles to cut the Northwestern lead to one, 5-4. With the bases loaded and one out, Canney coaxed a shallow flyout to Kelly Dyer in left before striking out Lana Armstrong to end the frame with no further damage. The base hits in the inning were the first of the game for the Illini.

In the bottom half of the fourth, the Wildcats loaded the bases with two outs on a trio of walks issued to Darcy Sengewald (Frankfort, Ill./Lincoln Way East), Cooper and Pauly. Cooper's base on balls was of the intentional variety, giving her nine on the year and 29 for her career. DeVreese picked up a strikeout, however, to hold NU off the board for the first time in the game.

Rigas greeted DeVreese with a solo home run to lead off the bottom of the fifth, sending a ball over the right-field fence for her seventh home run of the season and a 6-4 Northwestern lead. Illinois then replaced DeVreese in the circle with Christine Christopoulos.

One out later, Christopoulos issued a four-pitch walk to Kelly Dyer, then Sengewald hit a soft single to short to move Dyer up a bag. Logan followed with a single back through the middle to plate Dyer, move Sengewald to second and give the 'Cats a three-run lead, 7-4.

A single to second by Tammy Williams (Roscoe, Mo./Osceola) loaded the bases, then Cooper ripped a single into right to score Sengewald and make the lead four, 8-4. Illinois responded by re-entering the game's starting pitcher Brown into the circle in relief of Christopoulos.

Pauly greeted Brown (16-9) with a two-run single to make the score 10-4, advancing to second on the throw home. Sophomore Erin Dyer (Homer Glen, Ill./Lockport) then hit a ball to the warning track in left where it was caught to allow pinch runner Aly Euler (River Forest, Ill./Oak Park River Forest) -- into the game to run for Cooper at third -- to score. The throw to the plate got away from the catcher, and Pauly alertly followed Euler home on the error to end the game early in five innings, 12-4.

Canney picked up the win to move to 24-8 on the season. She allowed four runs on three hits and seven walks with seven strikeouts.

Cooper was 2-for-2 and tallied four RBIs to finish the game with 202 for her career. Logan was 3-for-3 with a triple, three runs scored and an RBI, while Pauly was 2-for-3 with three RBIs. Kelly Dyer scored twice for the 'Cats, while Rigas was 1-for-1 with the solo shot and two walks.

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