After surrendering 10 hits, 12 walks and eight wild pitches in 12 innings against Minnesota last weekend, Lauren Delaney was looking to bounce back against No. 23 Iowa.
Whether it was the cold weather, the Hawkeyes’ potent lineup or the pressure from Big Ten network coverage, the junior was not able recover.
Of the 326 pitches she threw, only 157 were strikes. In 14 innings of work in Wednesday’s doubleheader sweep, Delaney gave up 22 walks and nine earned runs.
Still, with the help of solid defense in the first game and explosive offense in the second, Delaney was able to pick up her 23rd and 24th wins of the season.
“I think her timing was off today, ” senior shortstop Tammy Williams said. She didn’t have her best day and everyone could see that. But she worked hard through it. Our team really came out today and played for her.”
In the first game, Northwestern led 5-1 entering the top of the sixth inning. In that frame, Delaney gave up four runs on four walks and two hits.
While Delaney walked four hitters over the next three innings, she did not surrender another hit, thanks to two running catches from Williams.
In the second game, Delaney pitched well until the fourth inning. She made it through the fifth, but surrendered four runs on four hits over those two innings. Once again, Delaney needed help from her teammates to finish the contest.
The Cats scored 10 runs in the final two innings of the game to record their 11th Big Ten win in 12 games.
In addition to help from the offensive and defensive sides of the ball, Delaney relied on her teammates in other ways as well. Throughout game, seniors Williams and Erin Dyer ran to the circle to talk to Delaney and keep her relaxed.
“I think that that’s the difference in both of our games today, ” coach Kate Drohan said. “What I said to the group after the game is every single person stepped up. Things didn’t feel so good. They were long games, moving slowly, and our team just really stepped up and took command of the second game.”
And while Delaney may be in the middle of a slump, Drohan is not worried.
“I think the key right now for Lauren Delaney is for Lauren Delaney to trust her stuff and to play pitch to pitch,” Drohan said. “Does she have some mechanical things to work on? Sure. But it’s just about her throwing her game, and we need to get back to the basics.”
