If pitching is the backbone of great teams, then No. 15 Northwestern is truly in excellent hands. The Wildcats won both games of their doubleheader against No. 24 Ohio State, behind sophomore ace Lauren Delaney and improved to 20-9 overall on the season.
Delaney threw her fourth no-hitter of the season in the first game of the doubleheader behind 11 strikeouts, leading NU to a 7-0 victory. In the second game, she dealt a complete game shutout with 14 strikeouts to improve her record to 18-6 this year. The two wins catapulted the Cats to a conference-leading 6-0 record in Big Ten play.
“Delaney did a nice job of pitching to both sides of the plate and mixing speeds,” coach Kate Drohan said. “She was in complete control the entire day.”
NU’s offense got off to a quick start and managed to score before Delaney even took the mound in the first game. Freshman Michelle Batts continued her hot hitting and scored junior Tammy Williams on a line drive double in the opening frame for her first of two RBIs. Williams also contributed two RBIs in addition to her two runs scored.
The focus of the game moved to the potential no-hitter as the lead continued to grow. Delaney said she didn’t feel much pressure because of the team’s big lead.
“By the last inning I would say I definitely knew what was happening, but I don’t think I felt any pressure, because we were up,” Delaney said. “So I was really just focusing on getting outs.”
When the last out of the no-hitter and the 7-0 victory was finally recorded, Delaney had no time to celebrate. NU’s ace shifted her focus to the second game of the doubleheader.
“Because we were off Friday and Saturday, (Delaney) was pretty fresh, so we were going to use her,” Drohan said. “We knew she would have a lot in her today, and after the no-hitter in the first game we just went with her in the second.”
Her strategy proved successful as Delaney pitched another gem, this time without the early support of the team’s offense. It was not until the third inning that the Cats finally put runs on the scoreboard thanks to home runs by Batts and junior catcher Erin Dyer.
“My first couple at-bats my timing was a little off, but I began feeling a little more comfortable in the batter’s box,” Dyer said. “So it got a lot easier. I got a couple of good pitches and I hit one out, so it was a good day.”
Sophomore Nicole Pauly and freshman Kelly Quinn each added home runs of their own to lift the team to a 6-0 victory, completing the sweep.
Seven players recorded RBIs in the two games for the Cats, and nine players managed at least one hit.
“I like the way the entire lineup produced today, and that will continue to be our focus along with playing good defense,” Drohan said.
But Batts was still the offensive star of the day with four hits, including the home run, and four RBIs in the two games against the Buckeyes (23-14, 2-6 Big Ten).
“We’re all finding out what our strengths and weaknesses are,” Batts said. “I think we’re finding out what our team is really made of right now, and it’s helping us come together more.”
With the two victories, NU took revenge on an Ohio State team that won the Big Ten regular season crown and topped NU in the conference tournament last year. The Cats’ schedule continues next weekend with a pair of two-game series against Iowa and Illinois.
