Coach Kate Drohan said Monday it didn’t matter who the opponent was, her team always plays at the same speed. The problem Tuesday was Northwestern’s opponent wasn’t ready to play at that speed.
No. 16 NU swept Bradley (12-25) in a doubleheader to extend its win streak to 14 games, tying the second-best win streak in school history.
But the Wildcats (32-9) were unable to escape the day unscathed.
Senior outfielder Erin Mobley rolled her ankle in a freak accident after jumping for a high five in the first inning of the first game and did not return for the rest of the doubleheader. Mobley had her right ankle taped and was limping as she walked off the field at the end of the day, but Drohan and teammates said the outfielder would be OK.
An injury in a midweek, non-conference game is a nightmare for coaches and players. But junior center fielder Sheila McCorkle, who broke her arm in a midweek game against DePaul last year and missed the Big Ten and NCAA Regional tournaments, said it’s not something the players have time to think about while they’re playing.
“I don’t think about it at all when I’m making the plays,” McCorkle said. “It’s just part of the game.”
The highlight of the day came in the second game, when junior Kristin Amegin hit a three-run home run to break NU’s career home run record with her 21st career blast.
“It’s been a while since my last home run, so I was just like, ‘Thank God,’ ” Amegin said. “I felt good on the swing, so I was glad it went over.”
Though the Cats were victorious, Drohan said it was hard for her players to adjust to the pace of the more-than-four-hour doubleheader. Before Tuesday, the longest game the team had played since the start of the conference season was one hour and 45 minutes.
“It was like churning butter with them, it was ridiculous,” McCorkle said. “Their pitchers move slower, their batters move slower. We have to keep up our intensity despite them, which is hard sometimes. But we want to win.”
NU took the first game 7-2 behind strong pitching from sophomore Megan Hinck. Hinck gave up two runs on four consecutive singles that put Bradley ahead 2-0 in the second, but the Cats’ offense responded quickly. NU came back with four runs in the bottom of the inning, and Hinck didn’t give up another hit for the rest of the game.
Drohan said one of the goals in Tuesday’s game was to get a strong start from Hinck. Drohan also said she wanted to work sophomore pitcher Eileen Canney in relief and wanted the Cats to work on hitting off-speed pitches.
Junior pitcher Courtnay Foster struck out the side to start the second game for the Cats, and Amegin’s record-breaking home run put the Cats up 3-0 in the third inning.
Foster was in trouble in the third inning with runners on the corner, but a line drive hit right back at the pitcher slammed off her leg and ricocheted into the glove of third baseman Darcy Sengewald, who threw over to first to complete a double play. Foster shook off the injury and finished the inning, but after giving up a home run in the fourth, Drohan took advantage of the opportunity to give Canney some work in relief.
Canney gave up three hits and one earned run to earn the save as the Cats beat Bradley 8-2.
After the doubleheader, Drohan said she wished the hitters had been more aggressive.
“We put the ball in play when we needed to,” Drohan said. “But I would have liked us to really slam the door at the end there and end both of those games in five. I think we’re certainly capable of it.”
The Cats will travel to Illinois-Chicago for a game at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday.
Reach Paul Tenorio at [email protected].
