All it took for Alyson Schulz to get her bat in full swing was advice from her coach, a couple of early at-bats and some chocolate-covered pretzels.

The Wildcats’ sophomore put the finishing touches on both ends of Wednesday’s doubleheader against Northern Illinois, smashing two-run home runs in each contest to help NU win 3-0 in the first game and 8-0 in the second game in its home opener at Anderson Field.

Schulz’s first homer came in the sixth inning of Game 1 with the Cats leading 1-0 and centerfielder Erin Jancic on second base. Having enjoyed a few chocolate-covered pretzels before the game, Schulz said she had been seeing the ball well the entire contest but just needed to get better contact than she had in her first two plate appearances.

She got just that.

Her two-run blast – off a screwball – came just shy of landing on the roof of neighboring Welsh-Ryan Arena.

“It was good to see the ball a little first,” Schulz said of her previous at-bats. “(The home run) felt good.”

Her homer in the second game, which also drove in Jancic, capped off a six-run fourth inning for the Cats and was the dagger in Northern Illinois’ heart. The game was called when the Northern Illinois side was retired in the following inning because of the eight-run rule, which ends a game if either team is ahead by at least eight runs after five innings.

Schulz credited associate head coach Kate Drohan – not the pretzels – with helping her make the necessary adjustments to hit her second homer. Before Schulz’s at-bat, Drohan advised the California native to swing at the low pitches, which Schulz typically hits best. The bombs certainly pleased her teammates and coaches.

“They were shots,” head coach Sharon Drysdale said of Schulz’s homers. “She really got a hold of the ball.”

Schulz wasn’t the only NU player to make contact with the ball, however.

The Cats ended the day with eight hits in the first game and six in the second. Jancic led NU with three hits on the day, followed by J.C. Kira, Carri Leto, Alyson Schulz and Rane Gunderson, who all had two hits. Drysdale said she was not surprised that NU’s bats have started coming around.

“I was hoping that we would have a good offensive attack today, ” she said, “and they did that. We’re playing on a regular basis and it helps (the team) to get into an offensive groove.”

In addition to NU’s offensive prowess, the defense flexed its muscles. Drysdale even called the first game a “defensive battle.” The game was scoreless until the fifth inning when sophomore Andria Caruthers led off with a double, stole third and came home after the catcher’s throw deflected off her and rolled into the Northern Illinois dugout.

NU got strong performances from its pitchers as well.

Brie Brown struck out six and allowed three hits en route to a shutout in Game 1. And after pitching her first complete game of the season on Saturday – coming off shoulder surgery – Lauren Schwendimann brought her “A” game to the mound. She allowed only one hit and came away with nine strikeouts.

Schwendimann credited her solid pitching to hard work, particularly her work on her screwball.

“It seemed to come together today, ” Schwendimann said. “I found a pitch that was working well. The more I feel myself performing well, the more confidence I get – and I feel unstoppable.”

Added Drysdale: “It’s good to see Schwendimann pitch like the power pitcher she is.”

The sophomore pitcher also received help from her fielders. After Schwendimann allowed a single, Kira made sure Northern Illinois’ Anne Hamilton didn’t gain any ground, picking her off at first from behind the plate.

Along with the fact that the doubleheader was the Cats’ home opener, NU had added motivation to play well in order to build confidence for this weekend’s Big Ten action against Minnesota and Wisconsin.

“It’s nice that I saved (my home runs) for the first home game,” Schulz said. “My mentality changes (in Big Ten play) because every at-bat and every swing is important.

“It was the first home game and we were pumped.”