March 23, 2006
EVANSTON, Ill. -- Junior Eileen Canney (Paradise, Calif./Paradise) notched her 500th-career strikeout Thursday night in a 10-0, six-inning win in the second half of a doubleheader at Cal-State Fullerton, but she likely will remember it for a different reason: it also was the second no-hitter of her career.
Canney (7-3) allowed just two baserunners in the game on an error and a walk. She struck out seven, with a whiff of Ashley Van Boxmeer in the seventh inning giving her 500 for her career.
The no-no is the 35th in the history of the program, and the first since Canney's perfect game on April 1, 2005, against Illinois. She is the seventh pitcher in Northwestern history to have multiple no-hitters.
Northwestern improves to 17-7 overall with the win, and wins the four-game season series with Fullerton, 3-1. The Titans now are 17-16 with the loss.
Northwestern first threatened to score in the third, loading the bases after freshman Tammy Williams (El Dorado Springs, Mo./Osceola) reached on an error, junior Katie Logan (Tempe, Ariz./Corona del Sol) singled through the left side and senior Kristen Amegin (West Sacramento, Calif./Elk Grove) drew a two-out walk, but no runs would come of the situation.
The Wildcats again loaded the bases in the fourth inning, and this time they got some runs. Senior Sheila McCorkle (Costa Mesa, Calif./Mater Dei) drew a leadoff walk, then advanced to second on a single from freshman Erin Dyer (Homer Glen, Ill./Lockport). Senior Ashley Crane (Sammamish, Wash./Eastlake) advanced both runners with a perfect sacrifice bunt.
Sophomore Darcy Sengewald (Frankfort, Ill./Lincoln Way East) loaded the bases with a one-out walk before Williams drove in McCorkle with a single deep in the hole at short. Logan then notched her third single of the game to plate Dyer and give the Wildcats a two-run lead, 2-0.
One out later, Amegin blooped a single into right field to score Sengewald and Williams and extend the Northwestern advantage to four, 4-0.
The Wildcats added more offense in the top of the sixth. Sengewald led off with a sharp single to center, before a pair of fielder's choice balls erased two lead runners and left Logan on first with two outs. Junior Garland Cooper (Mission Viejo, Calif./Santa Margarita Catholic) then knocked her second single of the game up the middle before Amegin drew a walk to load the bases.
Amegin's base on balls was the first of back-to-back-to-back walks for the Wildcats, with senior Jamie Dotson (Santa Ana, Calif./Foothill) and McCorkle earning RBIs for their bases-loaded walks. Logan and Cooper crossed the plate to give the Wildcats a 6-0 lead.
After Ann Schraufnagel (Oak Park, Ill./Oak Park River Forest) replaced Dotson on the basepaths, Dyer broke the game wide open with her first-career grand slam, giving Northwestern a 10-0 lead.
Logan finished the game 3-for-4 with a run and an RBI, Dyer was 2-for-4 with two runs and four RBIs and Cooper also had a pair of hits. McCorkle scored a pair of runs and Amegin finished with two RBIs for the 'Cats.
Northwestern returns to action at 3 p.m. CT (1 p.m. PT) Saturday, March 25, at Long Beach State.