Softball Falls to No. 14 Northwestern
5/2/2006 12:00:00 AM | SOFTBALL
Northwestern 2, DePaul 0 (9 innings)
Northwestern 3, DePaul 1
CHICAGO – The DePaul and No. 14 Northwestern softball teams engaged in a pitching duel Tuesday at Cacciatore Stadium. The Wildcats bested the Blue Demons in the contests, winning game one 2-0 in nine innings and game two 3-1. The wins improve Northwestern to 38-11 and drop DePaul to 27-21 on the season.
DePaul freshman starter Stephanie Blagaich (11-5) and Notre Dame starter Eileen Canney (19-5) fought threw eight scoreless innings before the Wildcat were able to post the games winning runs in the bottom of the ninth in game one.
Canney threw a complete game, scattering two hits and struck out 11.
Blagaich threw a career high 8.1 innings and fanned seven batters before being relieved by senior Leslie Scott, who faced the final three batters.
With one out in seventh, Northwestern's Katie Logan was hit by a pitch and Tammy Williams singled up the middle to place runners on first and second. Two batters later, a throwing error in right field compounded an error at second base, allowing both Logan and Williams to score.
Freshmen Amber Patton and Jackie Tarulli Fisher were each credited with the only Blue Demon hits in game one.
Northwestern again capitalized on a Blue Demon error to score the first run of game two in the top of the third inning. Ashley Crane reached on a fielding error at third base and later scored on Williams' single up the middle.
Fielding woes again haunted the Blue Demons as the Wildcats pushed a run across in the fourth inning as a result of an throwing error at third.
DePaul starter Tracie Adix's lone earned run came in the fifth inning as the Wildcats led off the inning with back-to-back singles and third baseman Kristen Amegian connected on a sacrifice to centerfield to give the Wildcats a 3-0 lead.
Tarulli-Fisher knocked her eighth home run of the season to give the Blue Demons their lone run of the afternoon. The freshman sent the first pitch of the seventh inning into the bleachers in left field. On the very next pitch, junior Kate Sheaks looked to cut the Wildcat lead to one, but center fielder Shelia McCorkle ran down the ball and made a spectacular catch at the fence for the first out of the inning.
Following Sheaks' long out, junior Jessica Evans reached on an error and motored to second on pass ball. The Blue Demons would leave Evans stranded as the final two batters did not produce a hit.
Courtney Foster (19-6) earned the win for Northwestern. She threw a complete game, scattering three hits and striking out six.
Adix (9-8) took the loss and notched five innings of work before Scott entered the ballgame. Adix was charged with six hits and struck out one.
The Blue Demons will face another