March 18, 2007
COLUMBIA, Mo. -- Senior Garland Cooper (Mission Viejo, Calif./Santa Margarita Catholic) and sophomore Erin Dyer (Homer Glen, Ill./Lockport) each uncorked two home runs Sunday afternoon against Missouri in Northwestern's final game of the Tiger Invitational, helping the Wildcats pull away to a 10-0, five-inning win over the tournament hosts.
The win improves the Wildcats to 19-5 overall on the season and a perfect 4-0 in the weather-shortened Tiger Invitational. Missouri falls to 22-16 on the season with the loss, 3-3 in the event.
Northwestern run-ruled every opponent it faced during its four-game slate in Columbia, outscoring the opposition by a combined score of 39-1.
The Wildcats sent 11 batters to the plate in the first inning Sunday afternoon against Mizzou, scoring seven runs on seven hits, a walk and an error.
Northwestern got back-to-back singles from senior Katie Logan (Tempe, Ariz./Corona del Sol) and sophomore Tammy Williams (Roscoe, Mo./Osceola) to lead off the top of the first before Cooper drove everybody in with a soaring home run to right-center field.
Still with no outs in the inning, freshman Nicole Pauly (Palatine, Ill./Palatine) singled deep in the hole to short, then Dyer clubbed a ball up into the jet stream and out of the park to right field to extend the NU lead to five, 5-0.
After an out, sophomore Jessica Rigas (Elberfeld, Ind./Techumseh) drew a walk, then moved to second when a fly ball to left by Kelly Dyer (Homer Glen, Ill./Lockport) was dropped for an error. Freshman Aly Euler (River Forest, Ill./Oak Park River Forest) replaced Rigas at second base.
Junior Darcy Sengewald (Frankfort, Ill./Lincoln Way East) followed with a line-drive single into center to plate Euler from second. The hit knocked Missouri starter Alana Jacobson (3-5) from the game; she was replaced by Jana Hainey.
Logan immediately notched her second single of the inning to load the bases with one out. Williams then hit a soaring fly ball all the way to the warning track in deep right field where it was caught for out number two. Kelly Dyer raced home to score on the sacrifice fly, but Logan was caught trying to move up to second for the third out of the frame after Dyer crossed the plate to make the score 7-0.
With two outs in the top of the second, Erin Dyer unleashed her second home run of the ball game, this one a solo shot to left field. Dyer's blast was her third of the weekend, giving her five on the year and 10 for her career. She recorded 10 RBIs in NU's four games at the Tiger Invitational, and ranks second on the team with 24 on the year.
Euler remained in the game as the designated player after her pinch-running appearance in the first, notching her first-career hit on a perfectly executed bunt to lead off the third. The 'Cats did not add any runs in the inning, however.
Northwestern starter Eileen Canney (Paradise, Calif./Paradise) was rocking in the early going, recording the first seven Missouri outs of the game by strikeout. Though they drew two walks over the first two innings, the Tigers did not put the ball in play until Leanne Bowers dropped a bunt single down with one out in the third.
In the top of the fourth, Williams singled up the middle to lead off the frame, then Cooper lined her second home run of the game over the fence in right to give the Wildcats a 10-0 lead.
Cooper's blast was her team-leading ninth of the season and the 41st of her career, tying the NU career home run leader for third in Big Ten history with Ohio State's Kristine Himes (2000-03). Cooper also leads the squad with 27 RBIs this year. She has hit multiple home runs in a game three times during her career.
The home run chased Hainey from the ballgame in favor of Jen Bruck for Missouri.
Cooper finished 2-for-3 with five RBIs and two runs scored, while Erin Dyer drove in three and scored twice on two hits. Logan also had a pair of hits in the game.
Williams went 2-for-3 with an RBI and two runs scored, giving her 11 runs scored in NU's four games in Missouri. She has scored 19 runs over the Wildcats' last nine ball games, averaging more than 2.0 runs per game.
Canney allowed just the one hit in the game to go along with four walks and a hit batter. She struck out nine to improve to 9-5 on the season with the win. The shutout was Canney's fourth of the season and the 33rd of her career, tying her with Cathy Tawse (1983-86) for third on NU's career list.
Northwestern returns to action with a 5 p.m. doubleheader Tuesday, March 20, at Saint Louis.