It was the perfect game, one best described by the string of zeroes left on the Anderson Field scoreboard.
“Northwestern was outstanding and Michigan stunk,” Wolverines softball coach Carol Hutchins said. “The board says it all.”
Those numbers belonged to freshman pitcher Lauren Schwendimann, who tossed the Northwestern softball team’s first perfect game since 1994 in the Wildcats 12-0 pummeling of No. 11 Michigan on Sunday.
But in addition to Schwendimann’s performance on the mound, the Cats (20-19, 8-4 Big Ten) dominated their opponent in every facet of the game and improved their prospects in the Big Ten race — making it an even-more perfect game.
“I don’t know if it could get any better,” Schwendimann said. “It’s a great feeling especially after waiting in (rain) delay, not knowing what’s going to happen, then coming out like this — it was huge for our morale going into the next couple of games.”
Tension was in the air as Schwendimann took the mound in the fifth inning, fully aware that three outs would activate the eight-run mercy rule and solidify the Cats’ series sweep of Michigan (34-11-1, 11-4).
With one out, Wolverine leftfielder Melinda Moulden hit a sinking line drive to right field, but NU’s Brett Nakabayashi saved the day with a diving catch. Schwendimann went on to retire the final out and the celebration was on.
Schwendimann struck out four in her 15-up, 15-down gem. She only needed 59 pitches to silence the Wolverines’ bats.
But for 3 hours and 22 minutes, it didn’t look like a game would even be played. Rain kept both teams inside McGaw Hall and the first pitch was thrown a half-hour before 4 p.m. — the “drop-dead” time coaches and umpires determined to be the latest the game could start.
“We’ve got so many people in a pack that getting out on the field and deciding it is important,” coach Sharon Drysdale said of the tight Big Ten race.
After the skies cleared, the thunder came from the Cats’ bats, as they pounded out 15 hits in the game. NU obviously was not impressed by the microscopic 0.44 ERA of Michigan starter Marie Barda, as the team quickly scored three runs in the first three innings.
After Barda departed, NU focused its assault on senior Jamie Gillies, who was snakebitten by a demoralizing defensive lapse in the fourth inning. With runners on first and second the Cats tried a double steal — only to have Michigan catcher Marissa Young threw the ball to an empty second base.
As one run scored, Michigan centerfielder Christine Garza then overthrew third base, allowing pinch runner Brittany Nelson to cross the plate.
Up 8-0 in the fifth inning, the Cats put the final nail in Michigan’s coffin as sophomore centerfielder Erin Jancic launched a grand slam over the left field fence to cap the scoring.
“When I went up to bat I knew she would try to get ahead, so I told myself to swing at the first pitch,” Jancic said. “It was off-speed, so I waited back and just got a good piece of it.”
The drubbing was Michigan’s worst Big Ten loss since Indiana walloped the Wolverines 12-0 in 1986.
However, almost overshadowed by Sunday’s game was the two-hit shutout thrown by Brie Brown in NU’s 1-0 win over Michigan on Saturday.
In Saturday’s game, Jancic’s solo shot to center field in the third inning was all the Cats — and Brown — needed to win. With a rejuvenated defense behind her, the freshman from Nashville, Tenn., improved her season mark to 7-9.
“I just kept telling myself, ‘Throw your pitch, keep it hard, keep it low,’ because in the first few innings we noticed this team was swinging over the balls a lot,” Brown said.
The weekend began with a frigid doubleheader Friday against Michigan State.
As Spartans starter Keri DeJong cruised into the seventh inning of Game 1 with a 4-1 lead, the Cats’ hopes looked slim. But junior infielder Brooke Siebel singled in two runs and NU proceeded to knot the game 4-4 on a Tami Jones infield single.
Then Spartans reliever Becky Gray walked Jenn Shull with the bases loaded to give the Cats a 5-4 victory.
NU went on to drop the nightcap 2-1, as Michigan State scored on Schulz’s passed ball in the seventh inning to gain a split. NU struggled offensively and defensively in both games, leaving the team looking for a boost against Michigan.
Yet like they did in a March victory over No. 1 Washington, the Cats elevated their focus against Michigan. The sweep virtually assures NU a spot in the Big Ten championships, which takes the top six conference finishers. Currently in fourth, the Cats hope the perfection will continue in the final two weeks of the season.
“It was a great opportunity for everyone to show what they could do and it all came together at the same time,” Schwendimann said. “I guess that’s what made the game so perfect.”
