Northwestern started well in both games of its doubleheader with Wisconsin. Unfortunately for the Wildcats, innings two through seven weren’t as gratuitous.
The Cats struck for their only runs in the first inning of both games but were unable to hold onto the leads in either contest, falling 3-1 and 4-2 to the Badgers on Wednesday. NU’s two losses drop the team to 25-18 overall and 9-7 in the conference, 2.5 games behind Wisconsin (35-9, 12-5) for third place in the Big Ten.
“I don’t think we ever took charge in the batter’s box,” coach Kate Drohan said. “The rest of the game we chased a lot and took a lot of defensive swings in there. We never really came through with that big hit after the first inning of each game.”
NU’s offense started off strong in both games, getting the two leadoff hitters, senior outfielder Kristin Scharkey and junior outfielder Mari Majam, on base in the opening frame. In the first game, Majam drove in Scharkey for the Cats’ run and in game two, both Scharkey and Majam scored despite NU only having a single hit in the inning.
Scharkey got on base in half of her plate appearances, scoring twice and being left on base two times as well. Majam also was effective in getting on base in the second game, walking twice in four plate appearances.
“My job as a leadoff hitter is to get on base and score runs,” Scharkey said. “I trust my teammates to get the job done when I’m on base. I’m really thinking about me, what I can do and what I can control … I trust every single person in that lineup to put hits together to get me across that plate.”
The big issue with the NU offense was the heart of the order in the three, four and five slots. The trio of junior Marisa Bast and sophomores Amy Letourneau and Anna Edwards has combined for 27 home runs and 108 RBI this season but only went 2-for-18 at the dish, including a 0-for-8 effort in game one. Bast, who hit fourth, was the only batter of the three not to get a hit. The third baseman leads NU in homers and RBI and said it was difficult for her not to be able to deliver the critical hit Wednesday. However, she said it is important to stay calm during the game to keep the morale high.
“It was frustrating, but you can’t be frustrated during the game because it will only put you in a bad place,” Bast said. “You need to be there for your teammates and be there for the team, and go out there and make the plays on defense, and come in and do your best to get a hit next time.”
NU could not create many scoring opportunities for its hitters but when the Cats did, they capitalized. The Cats left 13 runners on base over the course of the doubleheader, but only four of them were in scoring position. The most dangerous situation for NU was in the fifth inning of the second game when Letourneau flew out to second with runners on second and third in a two-run game.
The Cats were fortunate their pitching was able to keep them in the contest while the offense was struggling. Letourneau threw a complete game in the first contest, giving up 3 runs on 3 hits in the loss. In the second game, senior Meghan Lamberth gave up 5 hits and 4 runs in six innings of work.
“They kept us in the game, and that’s all we can ask of them,” Drohan said.
