The Northwestern softball team fielded ground balls outdoors early Monday morning for the first time this season. A few hours later, the Wildcats were finishing off Auburn 6-1 in their season opener.
Coach Kate Drohan said the win over Auburn — which began a 3-2 weekend for the Cats at the Louisville Slugger Invitational in Tampa, Fla. — was a good omen for the rest of the season.
“That sign alone for me is very promising,” Drohan said. “We’re absolutely going to be better than we were last year.”
The Cats also beat Florida Atlantic 5-3 and Sam Houston State 9-1, and lost to host South Florida 3-2 and No. 2 Arizona 6-0.
The team was led by strong pitching from senior Lauren Schwendimann and freshman Courtnay Foster, who was making her collegiate debut.
Schwendimann pitched 15 innings, striking out 22 and allowing 13 hits and nine runs. Her record now stands at 1-1.
The senior pitched six innings against Arizona, allowing six runs on six hits. Drohan said Schwendimann “threw a heck of a game,” but was the victim of a few bad bounces, like a runner scoring on a wild pitch in the fourth inning.
“I know I can compete with teams like Arizona, and I know our team can compete,” Schwendimann said. “That the frustrating part — knowing you’re capable and things not coming out like you’d like them.”
Foster, a native of Tucson, Ariz., struck out the first three batters she faced en route to a 1-1 record over the weekend. She pitched 10-and-a-third innings and allowed only three runs while striking out 14.
“She’s a stud,” Schwendimann said. “There’s no doubt that she will really be a big contributor this season.”
Schwendimann said although she likes to pass on her wisdom from three years of college experience, Foster’s not the kind of player who needs it.
“She’s a good pitcher,” Schwendimann said. “She’s a much smarter pitcher than I was when I was a freshman.”
Drohan was less pleased with the Cats offense over the weekend. Although several NU players came up with clutch hits, they had a lot of dry spells, as well. The Cats managed only two hits against Arizona.
Drohan liked NU’s tenacity on the basepaths. The Cats stole five bases over the weekend, and Drohan said the players’ aggressive running forced a lot of errors from the other teams.
Other offensive bright spots were seniors Robyn Pettinger and Brett Nakabayashi. Pettinger, a center fielder, hit two home runs and had four RBIs against Florida Atlantic. Nakabayashi, a right fielder, went 8-for-18 over the weekend and knocked one of the two hits against Arizona.
Nakabayashi said she and the team did well, considering they’ve been cooped up all winter.
“I played well for the first weekend out,” she said. “We have to quickly make that transition, because we don’t get any practices outside.”
The Cats will have to go back indoors until Feb. 14, when they begin the Arizona Pepsi Classic in Tucson, Ariz., where they’ll have a chance to avenge their loss to Arizona.
“We learned a lot from playing them, and we gave them a lot,” Schwendimann said. “We know we can beat them and I think we’re going to be fired up. It’ll be exciting.”
