March 16, 2007
COLUMBIA, Mo. -- With the stands at Missouri's University Field packed with fans from nearby Jefferson City, Mo., hometown hero Lauren Delaney (Jefferson City, Mo./Helias) dazzled the crowd Friday night with a three-hit, eight-strikeout shutout of the host Tigers in a six-inning, 8-0 Northwestern win.
The win improves Northwestern to 17-5 on the year, 2-0 at the Tiger Invitational. Missouri falls to 20-14 with the loss, 1-1 at its tournament.
Delaney moved to a perfect 9-0 on the season with the win, picking up her fourth shutout. She allowed three hits and two walks to go along with her eight Ks.
Northwestern began to hit Missouri starter Jen Bruck (6-3) hard immediately. After senior Katie Logan (Tempe, Ariz./Corona del Sol) led off the game with a rocket line drive out to third, sophomore Tammy Williams (Roscoe, Mo./Osceola) singled into left field.
Senior Garland Cooper (Mission Viejo, Calif./Santa Margarita Catholic) then blasted a ball way over the fence in left to stake the Wildcats to an early 2-0 lead. The home run was Cooper's team-best seventh on the season, and the 39th of her career.
Already the school's career total bases leader over second-place Erin Mobley's (2002-05) 308, the home run put Cooper above the 400-mark with 401. She ended the game with 403 after a sixth-inning double.
The Wildcats put three more runs on the board in the third. Again Williams started the rally with a single, then she beat the throw to second after a Cooper fielder's choice grounder to first.
A perfect Nicole Pauly (Palatine, Ill./Palatine) sacrifice bunt moved both runners up a base, then sophomore Erin Dyer (Homer Glen, Ill./Lockport) annihilated a double off the left-center field wall on the fly to plate both Williams and Cooper and give Northwestern a 4-0 lead.
Dyer moved to third after a productive groundout by Jessica Rigas (River Forest, Ill./Oak Park River Forest), then scored when Jessica Miller (Elberfeld, Ind./Techumseh) beat out an infield single for her second hit of the game and a five-run Wildcats' advantage, 5-0.
Two more 'Cats crossed the plate in the fourth. Junior Darcy Sengewald (Frankfort, Ill./Lincoln Way East) led off the inning with a walk, then moved to third when Logan beat out an infield single and the throw got away from the first baseman.
With runners on first and third, Logan stole second and the catcher's throw sailed into center field, allowing Sengewald to score the sixth run of the game for NU. Williams' third single of the game moved Logan to third, and she later scored on a double-play groundout by Cooper to give the 'Cats a seven-run cushion, 7-0.
Though the Wildcats did not score in the fifth, Missouri replaced Bruck in the circle with Jana Hainey to start the sixth. With one out, Logan singled to left field, but was erased on a fielder's choice ball from Williams. Now with two outs in the frame and Williams at first, Cooper hit a massive, soaring fly ball into shallow center field that three fielders surrounded, but no one caught. The miscommunication allowed the ball to settle to the grass untouched for a double, and Williams scampered all the way home to give NU an eight-run lead, 8-0.
From there, Delaney shut down the Tigers in the sixth to end the game early in a six-inning run-rule decision.
Sengewald drew two walks in the game, giving her four for the day and a team-best 15 on the season.
Williams finished the game 3-for-4 with three runs scored and a steal. The game was the second in a row for Williams with three runs scored. Cooper finished 2-for-4 with a double, a home run, two runs scored and three RBIs. Miller and Logan also both had two hits each, while Dyer drove in a pair.
Northwestern returns to action at 1:30 p.m. CT Saturday, March 17, against Columbia College before facing Missouri again at 6 p.m. CT Saturday night.