NU wins last of 4 weekend matches

By Zach Silka

The Daily Northwestern

URBANA, Ill. — After committing throwing errors in her last three games, Northwestern pitcher Eileen Canney was determined to throw the ball to first base successfully in Sunday’s doubleheader at Illinois.

At the start of every inning, the freshman would simulate fielding a ground ball and throw the ball to first base.

“Since we throw hundreds of pitches underhand, it’s good to throw a ball overhand every inning,” Canney said. “It helps get you in a rhythm before the start of the inning.”

Even though she never had the opportunity to field a ground ball Sunday, Canney managed to show off her underhand throwing skills in the second game of the doubleheader. The Wildcats’ 3-1 win earned them a split in the doubleheader and moved Canney’s overall record to 9-2.

Before Sunday’s win, NU (16-11, 1-3 Big Ten) had lost seven of its last eight games, including two losses at Iowa on Friday and Saturday.

Canney kept the Fighting Illini (23-13-1, 2-2) off-balance in Sunday’s second game, striking out eight batters and giving up only one run in seven innings at Illinois’ Eichelberger Field.

“I was really pleased with the way Eileen pitched today, ” NU coach Kate Drohan said. “Our pitchers really bounced back from two tough losses in Iowa.”

After falling behind 1-0 on Sunday, the Cats finally put together a second-inning rally and took the lead. Sophomore center fielder Sheila McCorkle was the first to score. Illinois pitcher Sherri Taylor fielded a ground ball from freshman left fielder Katie Logan and made a motion to throw home to get the charging McCorkle. Once she realized she couldn’t throw the ball home in time, it also was too late to throw to first base.

“The thing I was pleased about in this game was the way we kept the pressure on their defense,” Drohan said. “We talked about putting the ball in play and it led to the defense making mistakes.”

The Cats’ offensive pressure continued later in the inning, when junior right fielder Erin Mobley grounded the ball to first baseman Jenna Hall, who tried to throw out NU freshman pinch runner Elizabeth Piatt at home. The throw appeared to arrive well in time, but home plate umpire Joe Squires ruled that catcher Janna Sartini pulled her foot from the plate before the ball arrived.

The Cats continued the scoring in the bottom of the third. Freshman designated player Garland Cooper blasted a double down the right field line to open the inning. Senior shortstop Eryn Manahan followed with a double of her own to score Cooper.

“We have scored early and late, but not in the middle lately, so that was important,” Drohan said. “We also scored with a different part of our lineup today, which shows we are coming around as a team.”

The Cats’ offense in the second game contrasted drastically with their output in the first game. They scored no runs and had three hits.

The 2-0 loss squandered an outstanding pitching performance from sophomore Courtnay Foster (7-9), who struck out 10 batters and gave up two runs in six innings.

“It never feels good to lose, but I was able to get my confidence back (after two losses at Iowa),” Foster said. “It’s a letdown, but you can’t dwell on it.”