No. 6 Northwestern in Super Mood After Eliminating No. 22 Illinois State, 4-1
May 20, 2007
EVANSTON, Ill. -- Sixth-ranked and second-seeded Northwestern again erased an early deficit Sunday afternoon in the championship game of the NCAA Tournament Evanston Regional, scoring three runs in the top of the fifth to eliminate Illinois State, 4-1, and advance to the Super Regionals for the third-consecutive year. The Wildcats (48-11) will face South Carolina, the winner of the Charleston, S.C., Regional, next weekend in a best two-of-three Super Regional for the right to go the Women's College World Series. Stay tuned to NUsports.com for game date and time information. Illinois State concludes its season with a 44-17-1 record. Northwestern has won its four-team Regional every season since the NCAA switched to the Regional and Super Regional format in 2005. As it did in the winner's bracket meeting between the teams on Saturday, Illinois State took the first lead of the game. A leadoff walk, a single and a fielder's choice ball in the bottom of the third inning gave the Redbirds a 1-0 lead. Northwestern starter Eileen Canney (Paradise, Calif./Paradise) bore down, however, getting a strikeout and a pop fly to shortstop Tammy Williams (Roscoe, Mo./Osceola) in shallow left to end the inning before any more damage could be done. Nothwestern tied the game immediately in the top of the fourth. Freshman Nicole Pauly (Palatine, Ill./Palatine) drew a leadoff, full-count walk, then moved to second on a wild pitch. A sacrifice bunt from sophomore Erin Dyer (Homer Glen, Ill./Lockport) moved Pauly to third. One out later, Pauly came home on one of the more strange base hits you'll ever see.
Senior Jessica Miller (Elberfeld, Ind./Techumseh) hit a little flare line drive that went just over the outstretched glove of a leaping third baseman, and off the glove of a diving shortstop behind her, bouncing into foul territory by third base. Miller, however, had fallen flat on the ground leaving the batter's box, and had to quickly scramble to her feet and sprint to first to beat the throw for a single to tie the game, 1-1.
The Wildcats took the lead in the top of the fifth. With one out, senior Katie Logan (Tempe, Ariz./Corona del Sol) crushed a double off the very top of the fence in center, then scored when Williams singled through the right side of the infield to give NU a 2-1 lead. After the base knock, Illinois State replaced starter Shannon Nicholson (21-8) in the circle with Stacy Birk. Birk opened her outing by hitting senior Garland Cooper (Mission Viejo, Calif./Santa Margarita Catholic) with a pitch. Freshman Aly Euler (River Forest, Ill./Oak Park River Forest) replaced Cooper at first. A wild pitch then moved both runners up a base before Pauly singled back up the middle to plate both Williams and Euler and give NU a three-run cushion, 4-1. After taking the lead, the Wildcats got several great defensive plays behind Canney to help hold the advantage. The highlight came in the sixth inning with one Redbird at first and no outs when Williams dropped to a knee to backhand a sinking liner before firing to first to double up the runner and squash an ISU rally before it could begin. Canney picked up the win to move to 29-9 on the season, allowing one run on three hits and two walks with 11 strikeouts. Williams finished 2-for-4 for NU, while Pauly drove in a pair for the 'Cats in the game. With her two hits in the game, Williams tied her own Northwestern single-season record for total bases with 139. |
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