No. 11 Northwestern’s only senior had no intentions of playing her final game Sunday at Sharon J. Drysdale Field.
Thanks to the efforts of Darcy Sengewald and her teammates, the Wildcats will be home this weekend.
NU defeated Michigan State on Saturday and on Sunday, Senior Day, to clinch a share of the Big Ten crown. The Cats will host the conference tournament as the No. 1 seed after winning a coin toss with co-Big Ten champion Michigan.
Fighting windy and rainy weather Saturday, the Cats scored two runs in the first on a home run by freshman Michelle Batts. The Spartans answered with two runs in the second and a run in the third to take the lead 3-2.
Sophomore ace Lauren Delaney struggled early, walking two batters and hitting another, while allowing a double and a home run in the second and third innings. She recovered though, allowing one hit and striking out four over the remaining four frames.
“I think I just wasn’t in my rhythm to start the game, and it took a couple of innings to get into that rhythm,” Delaney said. “So everything was just a little bit off at the beginning of the game.”
The offense was again powered by the home run. In addition to Batts’ blast, junior Erin Dyer hit a three-run home run to put the Cats up for good in the third, and freshman Robin Thompson tacked on her second round-tripper of the year in the sixth to seal the 6-3 victory.
“I think that at some point Lauren Delaney knew that she wasn’t being Lauren Delaney,” Dyer said. “She sort of figured it out and kicked it into gear, and once she did that I knew it would be smooth sailing from there.”
Delaney brought her best early in Sunday’s contest – the final day of NU’s regular season. Michigan State (26-28, 8-12 Big Ten) dented the scoreboard first with a string of infield singles and bunts in the third inning. That was the last run that Delaney allowed, as she won her 31st game of the season, becoming the third player in team history to surpass the 30-win plateau.
“I think it’s more than I could have expected for the season, and it’s awesome to get 31 wins,” Delaney said. “But winning the Big Ten Championship was one of the things on our list to do this year, so it’s great getting that done.”
NU (34-13, 18-2) suffered an injury scare in the top of the fourth when Dyer was hit with a foul ball. She appeared to be in pain on the ground for a few moments, as coaches came out to attend to her. She stayed in the game, and rebounded in the bottom of that inning, driving in what would eventually be the game-winning run.
The inning started on a walk by Batts. Junior Aly Euler pinch ran for her and scored on a Nicole Pauly double. Pauly, who would fall a triple short of the cycle, then scored on the Dyer single.
The offensive breakthrough was preceded by an inning that saw Thompson, Darcy Sengewald, and Jordan Wheeler go down in order but not before fighting off a combined 23 pitches. Sengewald said that inning helped fatigue Michigan State starter Lesley Noel.
“Not only are we seeing as many pitches for our team, but we’re also tiring down the pitcher,” Sengewald said. “If you can have that long of an at-bat you’re only helping yourself and all your other teammates.”
NU increased the margin when its home run power returned. Sengewald crushed a ball in the fifth. Pauly added her 13th of the year in the sixth. Thompson capped off the outburst with a bomb in the sixth – her second of the weekend and third of the season.
Prior to the game, Sengewald was honored on the field as part of Senior Day for the Cats. She was twice selected to the Big Ten All-Tournament team and ranks third in school history in walks and sixth in runs scored. She added a home run in front of family and friends from her hometown of Frankfort, Ill.
“Darcy’s been with us for four year’s now and has really been instrumental in the development of our program,” Drohan said. “She’s been our mainstay. Especially this year, we’ve asked her to do a lot of different things, and she’s really stepped up and gotten the job done and it’s great to see the ball go over the fence for her.”
