Feb. 10, 2006
TEMPE, Ariz. -- There has been no precipitation in Tempe, Ariz., for the last 114 days, but it took only one at-bat in 2006 for senior Ashley Crane (Sammamish, Wash./Eastlake) to hit a rain-maker over the center field fence to make an outstanding performance by junior pitcher Eileen Canney (Paradise, Calif./Paradise) stand up in a 1-0 Northwestern win over No. 15 Oregon State Friday afternoon in the Wildcats' season opener.
Canney allowed just two hits over seven innings of work, striking out 11 and walking none to win her first decision of the year.
No. 16 Northwestern moves to 1-0 on the season for the fourth-consecutive year. Oregon State falls to 0-1 to begin 2006.
Senior Kristen Amegin (West Sacramento, Calif./Elk Grove) earned the first Wildcat hit of the season to lead off the second inning. In a quality at bat, Amegin fouled off six pitches before lining a single into right on Oregon State hurler Brianne McGowan's 10th offering.
Amegin then was erased on a double play ball to end the inning.
In the third inning, Crane got her senior year off to a bang when she took the ball over the center field fence for a solo home run and a 1-0 Northwestern lead.
Crane's homer was the second of her career and her first since Feb. 16, 2003, during her freshman season.
The game was a pitcher's battle throughout. Canney allowed just one hit through the first six innings, and struck out four batters in the first two innings.
McGowan (0-1) was equally tough to get to, although Northwestern did get hits in five different innings. In the sixth, the Wildcats advanced the first runner to second base in the game (besides Crane's four-bagger, of course) when freshman Tammy Williams (El Dorado Springs, Mo./Osceola) lined a sharp single to center before stealing second base.
She would advance no farther, however, after junior Katie Logan (Tempe, Ariz./Corona del Sol) hit a great little slap down the first base line, but was beaten to the bag in an extremely close play to end the inning.
Canney continued to mow down the Beavers, striking out the side in the bottom of the sixth.
In the top of the seventh, junior Garland Cooper (Mission Viejo, Calif./Santa Margarita Catholic) led off the inning with a single into right field, then advanced to second when Amegin blooped a single just out of reach of the second baseman. No runs, though, would come for the 'Cats from the situation.
In the bottom half of the inning, Oregon State's Mia Longfellow reached on a single to center to lead off the inning. Canney whiffed the next two batters she faced, with Longfellow advancing to second on a passed ball after the first strikeout. The final batter of the game popped out to Williams on the grass in shallow left to end the contest.
Northwestern returns to action at 8 p.m. CT tonight, Feb. 10, against No. 5 Arizona.