No. 8 Northwestern managed to take the drama out of the walk-off home run – twice.
The Wildcats picked up two wins in three hours, and only needed 11 innings do it. The Spartans fell at the hands of a pair of game-ending shots by senior shortstop Tammy Williams and junior centerfielder Kelly Dyer. They emphatically capped the 9-1 (5) and 11-2 (6) wins for NU.
Rather than propelling one team into the lead in the game’s last moments, NU’s blasts didn’t change the eventual result. Instead, after throwing 96 consecutive innings, junior pitcher Lauren Delaney earned some much-needed rest.
“It’s a great feeling,” Williams said. “Ending that game and giving Delaney a couple innings off is always good.”
After a tenuous start that included losses to schools such as Long Island University, the Cats have won nine games in a row and 13 of their last 14 games.
But they’re not just winning – they’re dominating. Wednesday’s victories were the fourth and fifth wins via run rule during their current streak.
“We’re just executing well,” coach Kate Drohan said. “It’s about playing in the moment and understanding what we can do in that moment to help our team win.”
Prime examples of these moments came throughout the game. NU did the little things, like Williams stealing second with senior right fielder Ashley Lafever on third. That aggressiveness drew a throw from Spartans catcher Kara Weigle, allowing Lafever to steal home with ease.
Perhaps the most important of these under-the-radar moments came in the second inning of the first game. With the score knotted at zero, NU got on the board with some nifty baserunning.
Lafever drew a walk and stole second to put runners at second and third with two outs, sophomore left fielder Jordan Wheeler hit what appeared to be a routine grounder to short that seemed destined to end the inning.
Lafever ran near enough to the shortstop to prevent the fielder from completing the play, allowing a run to score from third and keeping the inning alive.
The turn of events prompted Spartans coach Jacquie Joseph to protest for an interference call in vain. From that point on, the Cats scored 19 runs in nine innings in an all-around dominant performance.
“With our hitting lineup, anybody can get that game-winning hit, and anybody can get that RBI,” Williams said. “That’s something we haven’t always had.”
The offensive onslaught in the first game was led by Nicole Pauly’s 3-for-3, two home run performance. Pauly drove in or scored six of the Cats’ nine runs in the first game. She tacked on two more of each in the second game.
“I was just seeing the ball really well and staying loose at the plate,” Pauly said. “I was just having some fun with it.”
Williams was also a key contributor, going 5-for-7 with four runs and five RBIs. Those five hits included the walk-off homer and a frozen rope double that hit the left-center field wall, falling only a few feet shy of a second home run.
The barrage continued with 11 more runs in the second game, aided by the wild pitching of Michigan State’s Megan Hair, who dribbled several pitches up to the plate. Hair walked seven batters and hit three more, contributing to five of NU’s runs.
Delaney provided a perfect contrast with two outstanding performances. She scattered only three runs across the two games, striking out 10 in the first using an effective mix of pitches.
“The riseball was working better than usual, which is a plus,” Delaney said. “Erin framed the pitches well in the first game.”
It appeared that NU’s worst opponent was the wind at Sharon J. Drysdale Field. Three pop-ups that Cats fielders appeared to settle under managed to find the ground, including two second-inning blunders in the second game that cost NU one run.
“We made a few mistakes, but we bounced back,” Pauly said. “We got those key outs in those key moments, and got to the plate and got those runs back. That’s a good job.”
Although the wind might have provided the only drama for the Cats, crushing a 3-2 pitch to right center to end the game always feels good.
“It rocks,” Dyer said of her walk-off blast.
