Meghan Lamberth came back after two weeks of rest to pitch a complete game to help Northwestern beat Northern Illinois 8-2 Wednesday.
The sophomore had last pitched in relief against Stanford on March 21 and the little bit of rust that had built up showed in the first inning. Lamberth gave up a run and two hits in the first inning.
“I had a little bit of nervous energy,” Lamberth said. “But it’s like riding a bike, I’ve done it so many times that I wasn’t concerned.”
Lamberth gave up seven hits on the day, including five doubles but managed to limit the Huskies (13-16) to two runs. The five doubles created some uneasy situations for the Wildcats (18-9) early in the game, but Lamberth said she was able to slow herself down and get back on track on her way to improving her record to 8-0 on the year.
Coach Kate Drohan said after Tuesday’s win over DePaul that Lamberth would see action this week and said she was pleased with the results.
“She did pretty well out there,” Drohan said. “She changed speed very well. The thing that really impressed me was her approach and calmness out there.”
The NU offensive attack was led by sophomore shortstop Emily Allard who went 3-for-4 at the plate. Allard eventually scored after each of her three singles and was one of three Wildcats with a multi-RBI day. She also added two steals to push her season total to a team-high 29.
The Huskies made two errors, both on Allard singles that helped to put the speedy leadoff hitter on second. Allard’s aggressive attitude on the base path also caused two throws to second to sail into the outfield. NU also had numerous infield singles in the game that forced the defense to hold onto the ball instead of trying to rush the throw to beat the runner.
“As a team we try to make the defense work,” Allard said. “If they throw it into center field, they throw it into center field, and if I can help them do that, that’s great. It really gives our team momentum and that extra boost.”
The third and fourth innings were when the Cats finally started to get their bats going. NU scored seven runs on eight hits in those two innings and left only one runner on base. The outburst forced Northern Illinois to change pitchers at the end of the fourth and the Huskies settled in the last two innings.
The win ended a four-game stretch against regional opponents for the Cats. NU was 4-0 during the period and Drohan said she was happy with the results.
“We were focused on the task at hand,” Drohan said. “(I expect) for us to stay on course and focus on the task at hand (over the weekend). Every Big Ten series is a battle and I’m excited for the next test.”
That next test will be a weekend series with Wisconsin in Madison, Wisc. as NU seeks its first Big Ten win.
