With the lit-up Chicago skyline in the background of Flames Softball Field, it would have been easy to be distracted at the plate.

“It was against the back drop of the Sears Tower,” Northwestern softball coach Sharon Drysdale said. “It was beautiful.”

But the Wildcats had no problems with their concentration, defeating Illinois-Chicago 7-2.

The Cats (17-18) scored only two runs in their two games with Purdue over the weekend, but against the Flames, the runs were overflowing.

“Everyone really contributed,” junior Gretchen Barnes said. “We just had it in our mind we were going to jump on their pitchers.”

The Cats did just that, scoring the first run of the ball game in the top of the second inning on an RBI-single by sophomore leftfielder Jessie Wellnitz.

Illinois-Chicago (33-23) came back and put up two runs in the bottom half of the second to go ahead 2-1. But it would be the final time the Flames led all night.

“We knew we had to get the momentum back,” sophomore Robyn Pettinger said. “We didn’t let it get us down.”

NU’s bats came alive in the top of the third inning. With the bases loaded, junior Erin Jancic walked to bring home the tying run. Then freshman catcher J.C. Kira put the Cats in the lead for good on a fielder’s choice. Just to make sure the Flames didn’t stay close, sophomore Andria Caruthers knocked a two-out, two-run single to leftfield.

Caruthers – who finished the day 2-for-3 with 2 RBIs – didn’t know she would play until 20 minutes before game time. She started in rightfield, filling in for sophomore Brett Nakabayashi, who has mononucleosis.

“I played rightfield earlier in the season so it wasn’t completely new,” Caruthers said. “I hadn’t been hitting well the past couple of games and I just tried to get out of the slump.”

By the time Caruthers was finished and the dust had cleared, NU had taken control of the game 5-2.

The Cats tacked on two more runs before the end of the game, including a solo home run by Robyn Pettinger in the fifth inning. Unlike the rest of the NU squad, Pettinger started off slowly, striking out in her first two at-bats. But she more than made up for it with her finish, ending the day 2-for-4 with two RBIs and the home run.

“She kind of jammed me on the home run,” Pettinger said. “My hand was stinging after that one. I started off a little shaky, but I got in there and found a groove.”

NU’s offense greatly appreciated Jancic’s return. She injured her shoulder Friday against Indiana and missed the rest of the weekend’s games. Jancic, who played designated hitter and hit in the sixth spot, wound up 2-for-3 with an RBI.

“I was still a little sore and limited in what I could do,” Jancic said. “Being down in the batting order made me feel more comfortable.”

The Cats’ pitchers, who gave up only four runs over the weekend in two games against Purdue, continued their dominance. Sophomores Brie Brown and Lauren Schwendimann combined to hold the Flames to only five hits. Brown, who started the game, struck out four and gave up two runs. Schwendimann came on in the fifth and allowed only two hits the rest of the way.

The Cats next matchup is a doubleheader at Big Ten-leading Michigan on Friday. The Wolverines will be a tough matchup, but at least the people watching that game will pay attention.

“You see Chicago and there are all these people who don’t care what you’re doing,” Pettinger said. “It keeps it in perspective.”