April 18, 2006
EVANSTON, Ill. -- Trailing by one in the bottom of the seventh inning, No. 17 Northwestern got back-to-back singles from seniors Jamie Dotson (Santa Ana, Calif./Foothill) and Kristen Amegin (West Sacramento, Calif./Elk Grove) to walk off against Notre Dame, 3-2, Tuesday night at Sharon J. Drysdale Field in a game nationally televised on CSTV.
Entering the seventh down by one, sophomore Darcy Sengewald (Frankfort, Ill./Lincoln Way East) drew a four-pitch leadoff walk. She advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt by junior Katie Logan (Tempe, Ariz./Corona del Sol), then moved to third on a productive groundout by freshman Tammy Williams (El Dorado Springs, Mo./Osceola).
With Sengewald on third, Notre Dame elected to issue an intentional walk to All-American Garland Cooper (Mission Viejo, Calif./Santa Margarita Catholic). The base on balls was her third of the game.
Dotson then stepped to the plate and drove a single into center to plate Sengewald and knot the score, 2-2. Cooper moved to second on the play.
With a huge crowd roaring its approval, Amegin grounded an 0-1 pitch back up the middle to score Cooper from second and give Northwestern the 3-2 victory.
With the win, the Wildcats improve to 30-10 overall. The Irish fall to 26-13.
Junior Eileen Canney (Paradise, Calif./Paradise) started the game for Northwestern and pitched well, striking out six through 6.1 innings of work. She allowed only two runs, both unearned in the top of the third after a two-out error by the Wildcats.
Notre Dame starter Heather Booth (14-9) also pitched well, holding NU scoreless until the sixth.
That was when Cooper, who had been walked in her first two at bats, crushed a ball over the right-field fence for her eighth home run of the season and the Wildcats' first run of the game, cutting the Irish lead to one, 2-1.
The blast gave Cooper 30 for her career, and was her third in Northwestern's last three games.
In the top of the seventh, a runner reached against Canney to bring the top of the Irish order to the plate, and head coach Kate Drohan elected to insert senior Courtnay Foster (Tucson, Ariz./Sahuaro) into the circle. Foster struck out two batters -- the last with the bases loaded -- to set the stage for the bottom of the seventh and earn the win in the game. She now is 16-5 on the season.
A big crowd of student-athletes and fans were on hand for the contest, designated softball's 2006 BIG GAME. The contest was the first ever nationally-televised game from Sharon J. Drysdale Field.
Northwestern returns to action in its final home game of the season, hosting Loyola (Ill.) at 4 p.m. Thursday, April 20.