March 4, 2006
FULLERTON, Calif. -- Freshman Tammy Williams (El Dorado Springs, Mo./Osceola) jacked a leadoff home run against No. 3 Tennessee Saturday morning at the Worth Invitational in Fullerton, Calif., but the Lady Vols eventually managed three runs to escape from the No. 16 Wildcats, 3-2.
With the loss, Northwestern falls to 9-5 on the season, while Tennessee improves to 12-0. All five of the Wildcats' losses this season have come to teams ranked in the NFCA coaches poll top 25.
Facing Tennessee All-American Monica Abbott in the circle, Williams led off the bottom of the first inning with a full-count solo home run to center field to give the Wildcats an early 1-0 lead.
The blast was the first of Williams' career and the first surrendered by Abbott all season.
In the circle for Northwestern, senior Courtnay Foster (Tucson, Ariz./Sahuaro) did well to keep Tennessee off the board despite a couple of Lady Vol threats. In the bottom of the fourth, two singles and a hit batter loaded the bases with two outs, but Foster (6-3) whiffed the final batter of the frame on three-consecutive strikes to end the rally.
Tennessee broke through in the top of the fifth inning, putting two runners on second and third with back-to-back singles. A double into left field just out of the reach of a diving Katie Logan (Tempe, Ariz./Corona del Sol) plated both runners to give the Lady Vols the lead, 2-1. A sacrifice fly one out later scored another run to make the score 3-1.
In the bottom of the seventh, junior Garland Cooper (Mission Viejo, Calif./Santa Margarita Catholic) led off with a single into center field. Senior Kristen Amegin (West Sacramento, Calif./Elk Grove) then took one for the team, getting hit by a pitch to put runners on first and second with no outs. Pinch runner Elizabeth Piatt (Monticello, Ill./Monticello) replaced Amegin at first.
Senior Jamie Dotson (Santa Ana, Calif./Elk Grove) then singled past the shortstop to plate Cooper from second and cut the lead to one, 3-2. Piatt was caught rounding second after the throw home was cutoff, and was erased in a rundown for the first out of the inning.
After freshman Ann Schraufnagel (Oak Park, Ill./Oak Park River Forest) entered to run for Dotson, she moved to third when senior Sheila McCorkle (Costa Mesa, Calif./Mater Dei) dumped a single into right field, but Abbott got the final two outs to the Northwestern rally.
Williams finished the game 2-for-3 for the 'Cats, while Logan, Cooper, Dotson and McCorkle also rapped out hits for Northwestern.
Northwestern returns to action at 8 p.m. CT tonight, Saturday, March 4, against No. 6 Stanford.