June 1, 2006

Box Score

WCWS Game 3 Postgame Notes in PDF Format
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Northwestern Postgame Quotes in PDF Format
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WNUR 89.3 FM's call of Erin Dyer's home run
WNUR 89.3 FM's call of the gamewinning hit
WNUR 89.3 FM's full audio montage of NU vs. Alabama

OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. -- Trailing 5-4 in the bottom of the seventh, No. 4 Northwestern was down to its final strike in the program's first Women's College World Series game in the last 20 years. The Alabama faithful were stomping up a storm behind the visitor's dugout, but Northwestern freshman Erin Dyer (Homer Glen, Ill./Lockport) jacked a game-tying home run to dead center field to tie the score and send the purple section into pandemonium.

Senior Courtnay Foster (Tucson, Ariz./Sahuaro), in the circle in relief since the sixth inning, had recorded every single out from there until there was one out in the ninth by strikeout, accounting for nine of them. Thirteen of the 14 outs she got in the game came by the whiff.

She held the Crimson Tide scoreless in the extra innings through 10, racking up a ridiculous 13 K's in just 4.2 innings pitched. Stretch that ratio out over a regulation seven inning game and Foster was on pace to fan 19 batters -- more than USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year Cat Osterman's WCWS record 18 set in Texas' 2-0 win over Arizona State earlier in the day.

Foster whiffed her third batter of the game to lead off the seventh. The strikeout was the 1,000th of Foster's career, joining her with three-time All-American and former NCAA career strikeout record holder Lisa Ishikawa (1984-87) as the only two Wildcats to ever reach that mark.

The two teams would combine for 31 strikeouts in the game, a WCWS single-game record. The only out Foster got that was not by strikeout was a full-extension diving catch by senior Sheila McCorkle (Costa Mesa, Calif./Mater Dei) that earned the No. 7 spot on ESPN SportsCenter's top-10 plays of the day.

With the score still knotted 5-5, sophomore Darcy Sengewald (Frankfort, Ill./Lincoln Way East) led off the 10th with a walk. Junior Katie Logan (Tempe, Ariz./Corona del Sol) sacrificed Sengewald to second then freshman Tammy Williams (Roscoe, Mo./Osceola) drove her fourth single of the game up the middle to plate Sengewald and give the Wildcats a wild, 6-5, 10-inning victory.

The win advances Northwestern (48-13) into the winners bracket against No. 8 Tennessee at 8 p.m. CT Friday, June 2 on ESPN2. The Volunteers knocked off No. 1 UCLA 4-3.

Williams finished the game with a career-high four hits and broke the NU single-season record for total bases with 133. She scored a pair of runs, while both Logan and junior Garland Cooper (Mission Viejo, Calif./Santa Margarita Catholic) had three hits. Cooper drove in three runs for the 'Cats and finished a triple short of the cycle.

Foster earned the win with 4.2 innings of relief, allowing one run to go along with her 13 strikeouts. Junior Eileen Canney (Paradise, Calif./Paradise) started the game, allowing seven hits and four runs -- three earned -- in 5.2 innings pitched.

After two full days of flying, ESPN photo shoots and practice, the Wildcats showed immediately they were ready to begin the games.

On the second pitch of the bottom of the first, Logan sent a single over the third baseman into left field for a base hit. After Williams erased Logan with a fielder's choice, Cooper reached on an error to put runners on first and second.

With two outs in the inning, Amegin shot a single back up the middle so hard, the speedy Williams had to hold at third to load the bases. McCorkle followed with a hard grounder to short that was scooped for the third out, though, ending the threat with no runs scored.

While Canney was holding the Tide out to sea in their first trip through the order, the Wildcats pushed across the game's first run in the bottom of the third.

With one out, Williams laid down a perfect bunt single before moving to second on a single to left by Cooper. Senior Jamie Dotson (Santa Ana, Calif./Foothill) then drew a walk to load the bases.

On the very first pitch of Amegin's at bat, Alabama starter Stephanie VanBrakle drilled the senior in the back to force in Williams and give the 'Cats a 1-0 lead.

The HBP was Amegin' 14th of the season and the 24th of her career. Before the start of the season, 14 was the career record at Northwestern.

Alabama answered right back in the top of the fourth with a pair of runs on a trio of singles to take the lead from NU, 2-1.

The Wildcats wrestled the lead right back in the bottom half of the frame. With two outs in the inning, Logan beat out a single to second base, then Williams notched her second single of the game on a grounder into the hole at second.

Cooper then unloaded a home run to left field -- her first since April 18 -- to drive in Logan and Williams and give Northwestern a 4-2 advantage. The blast was Cooper's 31st of her career, tying her for 10th in Big Ten conference history.

In what was turning into a classic back-and-forth matchup, the Tide scratched one run back in the top half of the fifth. A leadoff double from Mandy Buford led to a run after a Wildcat error to make the score 4-3.

To begin the bottom of the fifth, Alabama replaced VanBrakle with Chrissy Owens in the circle. Owens allowed a two-out single to Dyer but held NU scoreless in the frame.

Canney began the top of the sixth with a strikeout of VanBrakle, who had stayed in the game as the designated player. Kelley Montalvo then hit a double to left, and Foster entered the game in relief of Canney.

A single and a hit by pitch loaded the bases with two outs. Foster's first pitch to Brittany Rogers appeared to hit her bat and then bounce off her body into fair territory, but the umpire. As most of the runners and players stood around on the field, the play went for a single and allowed the tying run to score. A full count walk then gave Alabama the lead back, 5-4, setting the stage for Dyer's dramatics.