May 26, 2007

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EVANSTON, Ill. -- Senior Eileen Canney (Paradise, Calif./Paradise) sparkled in the circle, Northwestern's offense uncorked three solo home runs and in a light rain in front of nearly 1,000 fans at Sharon J. Drysdale Field, the second-seeded Wildcats eliminated South Carolina, 3-0, to sweep the NCAA Evanston Super Regional and advance to NU's second-consecutive Women's College World Series.

Canney was electric in her final start at Drysdale Field, allowing only two hits and no walks while striking out 10 for the 37th shutout of her career. She improves to 31-9 on the season with the victory, 95-33 for her career. Canney is two wins shy of matching three-time All-American Lisa Ishikawa's school record 97 wins.

Northwestern dispatched South Carolina from the NCAA Tournament for the second time in the last four years after also eliminating the Gamecocks from the Tucson, Ariz., Regional in 2004.

The Wildcats will be making their fifth overall appearance in Oklahoma City, and will face Arizona State in the first round of the WCWS on Thursday, May 31. Game times will be announced after all WCWS participants have qualified.

Northwestern struck first in the top of the second inning. With Melissa Hendon in the circle for the second day in a row for South Carolina, freshman Nicole Pauly (Palatine, Ill./Palatine) led off the frame with a shot deep over the fence in right-center field for a 1-0 Wildcats' lead.

Northwestern began the game's first real rally in the top of the fourth. Sophomore Tammy Williams (Roscoe, Mo./Osceola) led off with a bullet single into left field, then moved around to third when senior Garland Cooper (Mission Viejo, Calif./Santa Margarita Catholic) shot a single back up the middle. Freshman Aly Euler (River Forest, Ill./Oak Park River Forest) replaced Cooper at first, then stole second base after the first out of the inning.

As a light rain began to fall, Hendon was able to get out of the inning unscathed, however, coaxing another pop out and getting a strikeout to end the inning.

In the bottom of the fifth, South Carolina's Ashton Payne hit a one-out triple to the fence in left-center for the Gamecocks' second hit of the ballgame. Canney induced a grounder to short that Williams gloved before looking the runner back and firing to first for out number two. She then fanned the next batter to escape with no damage done.

The Wildcats responded to their pitcher's fortitude by granting her some insurance in the sixth. With two outs in the inning and nobody on base, Cooper launched her 22nd home run of the season to left-center field to give herself sole possession of the Big Ten's single-season homer record. The conference's all-time home run leader now has 54 for her career.

Pauly immediately followed with a solo mash of her own off the stairwell tube attached to Welsh-Ryan Arena beyond left field, extending the NU advantage to three, 3-0. Pauly's home run was her second of the game and her 13th of the season, ranking her fifth in Northwestern single-season history. She has gone yard twice in one game three times this year; Northwestern has done it as a team nine times.

The Wildcats mounted one final rally in the top of the seventh, getting a two-out double from freshman Kelly Dyer (Homer Glen, Ill./Lockport) and a single by junior Darcy Sengewald (Frankfort, Ill./Lincoln Way East) to put runners at the corners before Hendon (20-19) escaped the inning.

Cooper, Pauly and Sengewald all finished with a pair of hits for Northwestern.