Dec. 28, 2006
EVANSTON, Ill. -- Northwestern's extra-inning knockout of No. 1 UCLA June 4 at the 2006 Women's College World Series has been named the best NCAA softball game of the year as voted on by fans from across the country. The game will be re-aired at 10:30 a.m. CT Monday, Jan. 1, on ESPNU as part of the network's New Year's People's Choice programming.
The Wildcats entered the game as the winner's bracket representative with a 2-0 record after defeating No. 4 Alabama and No. 8 Tennessee earlier in the World Series. The Bruins came into the contest out of the loser's bracket, and needed to defeat NU twice to advance to the WCWS championship series.
Northwestern's Jamie Dotson (Santa Ana, Calif./Foothill) gave the Wildcats an early 1-0 lead with a second-inning solo home run, but UCLA tied the game, 1-1, with a two-out, bottom-of-the-seventh pinch-hit single.
Leading off the eighth inning, NU's Tammy Williams (Roscoe, Mo./Osceola) and Garland Cooper (Mission Viejo, Calif./Santa Margarita Catholic) launched back-to-back homers to give the Wildcats a 3-1 lead.
All-American hurler Eileen Canney (Paradise, Calif./Paradise) struck out the final Bruin she faced in the bottom of the frame to clinch the win for the 'Cats, and send Northwestern to its first-ever Women's College World Series championship series.
To view the complete People's Choice programming lineup for Dec. 31-Jan. 1 on ESPNU, and access the voting results, link to ESPN.com.