In a rematch of last season’s Big Ten Tournament Semifinal against Michigan, No. 21 Northwestern redeemed itself, taking home two of three against the Wolverines this weekend (24-18, 10-7 Big Ten).

Although the Cats (30-10, 15-2 Big Ten) suffered its worst loss of the season Saturday, the team still sits comfortably atop the Big Ten standings.

NU’s road to revenge began Friday. In the second inning, the Cats became the first to score courtesy of a homer from senior utility Angela Zedak. Freshman infielder Kansas Robinson followed up with her own homer in the fourth, giving NU a 2-0 lead.

However, the Wolverines hammered back with two runs in the bottom of the fifth, knotting the contest up at two. Neither team scored for the next four innings, pushing the contest into extra innings. The Cats and Wolverines remained tied until graduate infielder Nikki Cuchran knocked in sophomore infielder Ayana Lindsey on a single in the top of the 10th.

Michigan quickly struck back, scoring in the bottom half of the 10th and tying the contest at three. But with the top-of-the-order coming to the plate in the 11th inning, the Cats weren’t done just yet.

After graduate outfielder Skyler Shellmyer and graduate infielder Maeve Nelson got on base, graduate catcher Jordyn Rudd followed through on her duties, hitting a single to center field to score Shellmyer and give NU a one-run lead. Michigan couldn’t catch up in the bottom half of the frame, propelling the Cats their first win of the series.

Though the team was coming off an extra-inning high, NU failed to find the same success Saturday, dropping a lopsided affair to the Wolverines 15-0 per the run-rule — ending its winning streak of nine games.

With the series on the line heading into game three on Sunday, the Cats needed a win to avoid their first series loss of the season.

Game three was a hard-fought battle, as neither team let the other score for the first six frames. But in the top of the seventh, Robinson broke the ice.

The first-year hit a single up the middle and into center field to score both freshman outfielder Kelsey Nader and Lindsey. She also advanced Shellmyer to third.

Rudd followed up with a single, scoring Shellmyer and lifting the Cats to a late 3-0 lead.

With the series on the line, the Wolverines’ bats didn’t have an answer for the arms of graduate student Danielle Williams and junior Lauren Boyd, resulting in a Cats 3-0 victory and series win.

As the regular season winds down, the Cats’ next opponent won’t be easy competition. They face the Big Ten second-place team Nebraska at home, followed by an away series at Rutgers. Afterward, the Cats will head down I-94 to Urbana-Champaign for the Big Ten Championships.

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