There are a lot of ways to sweep a team in a doubleheader.

As the Northwestern softball team found out Wednesday, shutting out the opponent is one effective method.

The Wildcats (16-9-1, 5-1 Big Ten), playing Northern Illinois in one of the few nonconference games remaining on their schedule, blanked the Huskies (13-17) in both games, 5-0 and 1-0.

It was just another day at the office for junior hurler Lauren Schwendimann, who ran her record to 11-2 by pitching her third complete game shutout in as many starts. Schwendimann kept the Huskies in check in the first game, striking out four while scattering eight hits.

“(Schwendimann) did a great job keeping the hitters off balance with her changeup,” NU coach Kate Drohan said. “She’s been doing that all year.”

The pitching accolades don’t stop there.

Junior Brie Brown also shut down the Northern Illinois offense in Game 2, posting her fifth win of the season.

Brown, who came in with a 4-7 record, was struggling to complete games earlier in the year, but she found her groove against the Huskies.

“I was just really relaxed today, ” Brown said. “Sometimes I think too much out there about the hitter. But since I’m not as familiar with (the Northern Illinois batters), it was nice to just go at them.”

While Brown downplayed her performance – she was unaware that Wednesday marked her first shutout of the season – Drohan offered plenty of praise.

“It was by far her best performance of the year,” Drohan said. “She was one of the MVPs of the day.”

The clutch pitching was crucial for NU, which had difficulty scoring in Game 2. The Cats had several opportunities with runners on base and less than two outs, but they came away empty-handed nearly every time.

“The only thing about today that I was not happy with was our short game,” Drohan said. “We need to understand that every base counts.”

NU was greatly aided by an outstanding defensive play by J.C. Kira. The sophomore catcher picked off the potential tying run in the bottom of the seventh inning of the nightcap, ensuring the sweep for NU.

“That was probably the highlight of the day, ” senior outfielder Erin Jancic said.

Jancic had a couple of highlights of her own, scoring the eventual game-winning run in the first game as well as knocking in the lone run in the second game.

Jancic fought off several foul balls with two outs in the second inning of Game 2 before lifting a single into left field to bring home the go-ahead run. She finished with three RBIs on the day.

“I was just trying to stay alive out there,” Jancic said. “She tried to jam me, but I just fought it off. The left fielder was playing pretty deep, so it dropped in.”

Senior Rane Gunderson also made a key offensive contribution for NU with a two-run single in Game 1.

Drohan applauded her own team for its solid performance in a midweek nonconference game.

“(Northern Illinois) has a lot of good athletes, but we came out strong early and set the tone,” Drohan said. “It’s definitely a challenge to get up for these matches since they lack the intensity that comes with a Big Ten game.”

The Cats will rest today before hosting Ohio State and Penn State this weekend.

Although its schedule will become more strenuous in the coming weeks, NU is hoping to maintain the team chemistry that has helped the team to a solid start.

“We’re definitely ready to get back into Big Ten play,” Jancic said. “We knew we had the potential to play like this from day one.