SOFTBALL

SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Sophomore Katie Logan was 1 for 6 with no runs and no RBIs last weekend in the Big Ten tournament.

This weekend, Logan was arguably Northwestern’s most valuable player in the NCAA regionals, as she went 5 for 12 with three walks, six runs, three RBI and two stolen bases.

“I’m just trying to do my job regardless, in any game,” Logan said. “I think’s it’s exciting that it’s (coming) at such an important part of our season.”

Logan was the key player in the sudden onslaught of hits that came from the bottom of the lineup in the four-team bracket. The seventh and eighth hitters — freshmen Kelly Odell and Darcy Sengewald — also played big roles offensively for the Cats.

The two contributed four runs and one RBI, and Odell was especially strong, driving several balls with home run distance foul down the third baseline. She also had one hit drop just short of a home run for a warning-track fly out.

“We talk a lot about them making the pitchers work a lot,” coach Kate Drohan said. “A lot of them went to full counts and fouled off a lot of pitches and I thought that was great.

“Logan gets walked a couple of times, she scores. For people to be standing on second and third base when (freshman Stephanie) Churchwell comes up, that can change games.”

The production from the 7-8-9 hitters could not have come at a better time for the Cats, who had struggled to move any runners or score runs during the past two weekends.

The three also played integral roles on the defensive side of the ball, accounting for 23 put outs and 20 assists for the Cats, with Sengewald recording the final out in the first win against Notre Dame on Sunday.

Sengewald charged the ground ball and cut it off before it could reach Churchwell at shortstop, and then fired the ball to first as she ran at full speed.

But it was offense NU needed the most, and the bottom of the lineup delivered when it mattered most.

“I think it’s something we’ve been really lacking the last couple of weeks finishing out the Big Ten season,” Drohan said. “You forget what a great Big Ten season Katie Logan had, how many runs she had for us. How many runs Darcy Sengewald scored for us. And Kelly Odell has really hit her stride here in the batter’s box.

“When you’ve got (Darcy) and Katie Logan generating runs it changes everything because then they have to pitch to (Churchwell) and (senior Erin) Mobley and (sophomore Garland) Cooper.”

Reach Paul Tenorio at [email protected].