May 25, 2007
EVANSTON, Ill. – It was a different look for the South Carolina Gamecocks as three costly errors allowed the second-seeded Northwestern Wildcats to score four runs in the sixth and set up a 6-1 win in game one of the NCAA Super Regional at Sharon Drysdale Field in Evanston, Ill. The Gamecocks were held to just one hit until the seventh inning when Lindsay Walker hit her second home run of the year. South Carolina falls to 38-25 overall and Northwestern improves to 49-11. Game two of the Super Regional is set for Saturday at 2 p.m. (ET). The Gamecocks need to win that game, plus an “if necessary” game to advance to the Women’s College World Series.
Eileen Canney (30-9) struck out 12 batters in seven innings pitched. Melissa Hendon (20-18) struck out eight in six innings pitched and gave up six runs, two earned, on six hits.
Northwestern’s offense was contained to two players mostly. Katie Logan and Tammy Williams combined for five of their six hits. Logan went 2-for-3 with a run and Williams went 3-for-3 with two runs and two RBI.
The Gamecocks got out of a bases loaded jam in the first when Erin Dyer flied out to right field and Ashton Payne was able to double up and connected with Hughes at home plate to throw out Logan for the third out of the game. The Gamecocks were able to prevent the Wildcats from scoring.
South Carolina broke up the no-hitter in the fifth when Ashton Payne slapped an infield hit and beat out the throw. Canney had retired 12 straight Gamecock batters prior to the hit. Payne got as far as second but was stranded after Canny got the next two batters on a groundout and a strikeout, her tenth of the game.
Things were quiet until the third when the Wildcats broke up the scoreless tie in the third with a two-run homer by Williams, her 14th of the season. After the home run, Hendon and the Gamecocks retired the next eight batters until Williams hit a single to lead off the sixth. It was then when the wheels began to fall off for South Carolina. Three Gamecock errors, a fielding error by Walker, and two throwing errors by Hughes and Hendon, allowed three more runs to score in the sixth and put the Wildcats up 5-0 with zero outs. South Carolina was able to get two outs before Northwestern tacked on another run on an RBI double by Kelly Dyer and went up 6-0.
The Garnet and Black had one more chance in the top of the seventh and was successful only in preventing the shutout. Walker hit a two-out solo home run in the seventh inning, the 21st for the team this season, to put the Gamecocks on the board.
South Carolina is now 5-4 all-time against the Wildcats and is 0-1 in Super Regional action.
