Windy City split
Sophomore pitcher tosses 10-inning shutout
By Zach Silka
The Daily Northwestern
CHICAGO — Sophomore Courtnay Foster had just pitched a gem in the first game, and everything was rolling along beautifully in Game Two of the Northwestern softball team’s doubleheader at DePaul on Wednesday. That is, until sophomore center fielder Sheila McCorkle dove head-first into the center field fence chasing down a fly ball off the bat off freshman Linda Secka.
As McCorkle lay motionless on the warning track, senior Christina Douglas and Secka crossed the plate for an inside the park home run, giving DePaul a 3-2 lead in the fourth inning.
The injury forced McCorkle to leave the game and the Wildcats (30-16) never recovered. DePaul (23-27-1) piled on three runs in the fifth inning en route to a 6-2 win to that earned the Blue Demons a split in the doubleheader.
In the fifth inning of game two, freshman center fielder Elizabeth Piatt, McCorkle’s replacement, misplayed two fly balls in center field leading to unearned runs.
DePaul ace, senior Sarah Martz, also retired six of the next seven batters she faced to improve her record to 18-12.
Freshman designated player Garland Cooper said McCorkle’s injury had a negative affect on the team.
“Stuff like that is going to happen in sports,” Cooper said. “That’s when we need to bounce back and just be tougher than the other team.”
Freshman pitcher Megan Hinck, who was making her second career start, suffered the most from the defensive breakdown.
“I think we misplayed a lot of balls for her, but I am very pleased with Hinck,” NU coach Kate Drohan said. “She hit her spots well. I think she looks good.”
Hinck (0-1) declined to comment after Wednesday’s doubleheader.
While third starter Hinck struggled in game two, sophomore pitcher Courtnay Foster carried the Cats to an 11-inning victory in the first game.
Arguably pitching her best game of the season, Foster (14-13) shut out DePaul and surrendered only three hits when the Cats’ offense failed to produce a run through 10 innings.
“I’ve started to come around a little bit,” Foster said. “I think I could still throw better, but I am definitely happy with the way the first game turned out today, and I am going to build on it.”
Cooper’s three-run homer to right-center in the top of the 11th opened the floodgates for NU.
The offense went on to score three more runs in the frame, and the 6-0 cushion proved to be more than enough for pitcher Eileen Canney.
The freshman came in to close the game in the bottom of the inning, chalking up three strikeouts. Canney also closed out the 6-2 loss in the second game, again striking out the side in order.
Cooper opened the Cats’ scoring in the second game as well, hitting a two-run shot to left-center. With the bomb Cooper became NU’s all-time single-season home run leader and gave the Cats a 2-0 lead in the third inning.
“I’m not even thinking about (the record) when I go up there,” Cooper said. “You can’t control hitting home runs.
“I guess I’m just in kind of a zone right now. Hopefully, I’ll be able to stay in it the rest of the season. I’m just seeing the ball really well.”
While Drohan praised Cooper for hitting home runs in four of her last five games, she said she expects it out of the clean-up hitter.
“It’s her job,” Drohan said. “That’s what the designated player does. Her job is to hit. She gets mad when I tell her to bunt. When she rounded third on her second home run, she just looked at me and said, ‘Thanks for not having me bunt.'”
Drohan called for Cooper to bunt with no outs in the sixth inning of the first game. While the sacrifice moved junior right fielder Erin Mobley over to second base, the strategy backfired when third baseman Kristen Amegin struck out and shortstop Eryn Manahan grounded out.
“The little sacrifices, no one is immune to that,” Drohan said.
Losing to a sub-.500 team is never a positive, and the Cats could suffer consequences for Wednesday’s split. Since DePaul is in NU’s region, the Cats could receive a lower seeding in the NCAA tournament because of the loss.
