With half of the Big Ten schedule in the books and four conference games on deck this weekend, No. 14 Northwestern will take a one-game hiatus from Big Ten play for a matchup with Notre Dame on Tuesday at 4 p.m.
The Wildcats (23-10, 9-1 Big Ten) enter the afternoon affair having won 10 of their last 11 contest, dropping only the second game of a doubleheader against Iowa on Sunday. NU is looking toward the need to regain its momentum before hosting a pair of two-game series with Indiana and Purdue.
The Fighting Irish have also won 10 of their last 11 games and enter Tuesday’s game 26-12 overall and 7-2 in Big East play. They are led by junior ace Brittney Bargar, who has allowed just 18 earned runs all season on her way to a 0.79 ERA. Bargar is coming off a one-hit shutout of Rutgers on Monday.
“Notre Dame is a big-time regional opponent,” said coach Kate Drohan. “We continuously run up against them in the postseason, so this one will be big for our seeding and potentially hosting the regional.”
The Cats tattooed Bargar for seven runs in three innings on their way to a 12-0 victory. In the win, NU infielders Tammy Williams and Nicole Pauly had big games; the former scored three runs, while the latter drove in four. But last year’s results are not the first thought on Drohan’s mind.
“We try not to put too much emphasis on last year’s games either way,” she said, “whether it was a win or a loss.”
Even though sophomore ace Lauren Delaney pitched 27 innings last weekend, the Cats will likely send her to the mound. Delaney has appeared in 30 of the team’s 33 games this season and has been credited with all but two of the team’s victories.
Drohan said her workload is something the coaching staff consistently
monitors.
“We’re constantly checking in with Delaney to see how she’s feeling,” Drohan said. “(We) make sure she stays fresh for the end of the season, but I don’t think we’re asking anything of Lauren that she can’t handle.”
Delaney has responded with a terrific season. The sophomore has posted a 1.80 ERA, striking out almost 1.5 batters per inning.
Despite the workload, the ace said she feels good on the mound.
On Tuesday, Delaney must contain Notre Dame senior shortstop Katie Laing. Laing is hitting .361 on the season with 41 RBIs in 38 games. In last year’s contest with the Fighting Irish, NU held her hitless in three at-bats.
The Cats’ offense counters with freshman Michelle Batts and junior Erin Dyer. Batts has four home runs and 12 RBIs in her last seven games, while Dyer has three round-trippers in her last six games. Setting the table is Williams, who leads the nation with a .525 batting average and sports a .605 on-base percentage as well.
“I was just really relying on Batts and Pauly and Dyer to score me on the fly or on the hits that they were getting,” Williams said.
As long as the middle of the lineup continues to drive in runs, the Cats will be successful, Williams said.
After the Notre Dame game, NU has two days off before hosting Indiana on Friday.
