March 31, 2006
EVANSTON, Ill. -- Northwestern's freshmen did not wait very long to make themselves at home. In the No. 16 Wildcats' first home game of the season -- and their first contest of the Big Ten schedule -- the young ones did the most damage in a 16-0, five-inning shellacking of Wisconsin.
Freshman Erin Dyer (Homer Glen, Ill./Lockport) went 3-for-4 with a home run, a double, a single and a Northwestern single-game record eight RBIs. Classmate Tammy Williams (El Dorado Springs, Mo./Osceola) went 2-for-2 with three runs scored, two RBIs and a home run, while freshman Erin Hampshire (Wilmette, Ill./New Trier) launched a solo home run in the first at-bat of her career.
Freshman Ann Schraufnagel (Oak Park, Ill./Oak Park River Forest) also notched the first hit of her career with a fourth-inning single.
Lost in all of the offense was a great outing for Northwestern starter Eileen Canney (Paradise, Calif./Paradise), who came within a fifth-inning single of a no-hitter. She moved to 9-4 with the win, allowing five walks while striking out nine.
The win is Northwestern's biggest since a 16-0, five-inning win over St. Mary's on March 24, 2005, at the Stanford Tournament in Palo Alto, Calif., and is the second-biggest margin of victory in program history, trailing only a 19-2 win over Detroit in 1983.
The 16 runs were the most for the 'Cats in a Big Ten game since NU defeated Purdue, 17-5, on April 14, 2000. The 16-run margin of victory is Northwestern's biggest ever in a Big Ten contest.
Northwestern now is 19-8 overall, 1-0 in the Big Ten, while Wisconsin falls to 11-11 overall, 0-1 in the conference.
Badger starter Eden Brock threw 11-consecutive balls to begin the game, walking Williams and junior Katie Logan (Tempe, Ariz./Corona del Sol) before finding the plate.
With one out in the inning, Brock issued a free pass to senior Kristen Amegin (West Sacramento, Calif./Elk Grove) to load the bags. Brock's fourth walk of the frame -- this one to senior Jamie Dotson (Santa Ana, Calif./Foothill) -- plated Williams and gave the 'Cats a 1-0 lead.
With two outs in the inning and the bags still loaded, Dyer lined her third home run of the season -- and her second grand slam -- over the fence in left to explode Northwestern's advantage to five, 5-0.
In the second, the Wildcats followed another walk with another home run. Sophomore Darcy Sengewald (Frankfort, Ill./Lincoln Way East) led off the frame with a walk, then Williams hit a bomb over the left-field fence to extend NU's cushion to seven runs on just two team hits
But the scoring was not done yet. Not even close.
Logan drew her second walk of the game, then moved to third on a Garland Cooper (Mission Viejo, Calif./Santa Margarita Catholic) double. Amegin again walked to load the bases, then Dotson dumped a single into right to score Logan.
Dyer came to the plate again with two outs and the bases loaded, and this time cleared the bags with a double into center field to make the score after two innings 11-0.
In the third, Williams and Logan both reached base, and Cooper drove them in with a no-out double. Later on, with runners on second and third, senior Sheila McCorkle (Costa Mesa, Calif./Mater Dei) hit a sacrifice fly deep into foul territory in left field to score the third run of the inning.
With pinch runner Schraufnagel on third, Dyer drove in her eighth two-out run of the game with a single through the left side to push NU's lead to 15 after three innings, 15-0.
In the bottom of the fourth, Hampshire earned the first at-bat of her career. She made the most of it, hitting the longest home run of the day over the stairwell tube attached to McGaw Hall in left field to make the final score 16-0. Schraufnagel also earned the first hit of her career in the frame.
Cooper finished the game 2-for-3 with two RBIs, two runs scored and a Northwestern career record. She now has 40 doubles for her career, topping the Wildcats' all-time list.
Dotson was 1-for-2 with two RBIs and two runs scored, while both Logan and Amegin went 0-for-0 with three walks and two runs scored.
Northwestern returns to action at noon tomorrow, Saturday, April 1, against Wisconsin.