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OKLAHOMA CITY - Northwestern's softball team will take its chances with a pitchers' duel. The Wildcats won one in the second round of the Women's College World Series on Friday night.
Senior Eileen Canney became the first pitcher this year to hold Tennessee, the nation's leading hitting team, under four hits as the Wildcats won, 2-0.
Canney, who has one no-hitter this season, tossed her eighth one-hitter in front of an overflow crowd of 5,887 at Hall of Fame Stadium. She struck out 10, retiring eight in a row at one point, and then the final six hitters of the game.
Darcy Sengewald gave Canney (25-7) an insurance run with a homer to left in the top of the seventh inning.
The Wildcats (49-13) have Saturday off and can win a berth in the best-of-three final series with a victory Sunday (2 p.m., ESPN) over the team that emerges from their side of the losers' bracket: Texas, Alabama or top-seeded UCLA.
Alabama and UCLA, the overall No. 1 seed that was upset by Tennessee 4-3 in a game that didn't end until 2 a.m. Friday, meet at 1 p.m. Saturday. The winner plays Texas at 8 p.m.
Tennessee's Monica Abbott (42-9), who took the lost, struck out 15.
Northwestern grabbed a 1-0 lead in the sixth. Katie Logan led off with a single. One out later, Garland Cooper drew a walk. With two outs, Kristen Amegin grounded a single to right field, scoring Logan from second for the only run the Wildcats would need.
Tennessee (59-11) threatened only in the bottom of the sixth. Jennifer Griffin led off with a walk, and pinch-hitter Liane Horiuchi was hit by a pitch for the 18th time this season.
Sarah Fekete, a .517 hitter, grounded out, advancing the runners to second and third. Canney then struck out pinch-hitter Natalie Brock. Lindsay Schutzler lined to shortstop Tammy Williams to end the inning.
In the other winners bracket game, Arizona beat Texas 2-0 behind Alicia Hollowell's four-hitter. Texas star Cat Osterman allowed only one hit, but it led to the winning run.
She struck out 13 a day after setting a WCWS record with 18 strikeouts in a victory over Arizona State. It was her 14th one-hitter this season, and the first one she's lost.
Arizona won when Callista Balko, who had struck out in her previous nine at-bats against Osterman, singled and left fielder Shannon Thomas booted it, allowing Caitlin Lowe to score the game's only run.
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(c) 2006, Chicago Tribune. Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune News Service.
