Northwestern swept both Penn State and Michigan State as it opened Big Ten conference play in Oklahoma City this weekend, extending its win streak to seven straight.
At the home of the Women’s College World Series, the Wildcats (13-9, 4-0 Big Ten) trounced the Nittany Lions (12-13, 0-2 Big Ten) 13-7 in their weekend opener Thursday, knocking 12 hits and drawing 10 walks in the process.
Coach Kate Drohan’s squad struck first, plating one run in the bottom of the second inning when freshman outfielder Avery Garden scored on freshman infielder Kaylie Avvisato’s two-out infield hit.
Penn State knotted things up with an RBI double in the top of the third, but a leadoff home run by junior infielder Bridget Donahey in the subsequent frame put the ’Cats back on top.
From there, NU combined for 10 total runs in the third, fourth and fifth innings to solidify its victory. Sophomore catcher Emma Raye spearheaded the offense with a career-high five RBIs, ending the day a triple shy of hitting for the cycle.
The two teams were originally scheduled to face off again Friday, but the second matchup was pushed to Saturday due to high wind gusts in Oklahoma City.
With sophomore pitcher Riley Grudzielanek in the circle, NU easily overcame a two-run Nittany Lion first inning in a 10-2 run-rule victory Saturday.
During a contest in which six of nine batters in the lineup recorded a hit and four managed multi-hit games, the ’Cats bounced back from an early deficit to continue their winning ways.
Senior infielder Grace Nieto sparked NU’s offense with a first-inning leadoff bunt single and scored on a wild pitch to put Drohan’s group on board. Following a strong offensive start, Nieto carried her dominant play into the field, making a diving catch at second base to close out the second frame.
Behind a flawless defensive performance, the ’Cats never conceded another run. Instead, they capitalized on two costly Penn State errors to score four unearned runs, ending the game in mercy-rule fashion.
Following that early Saturday afternoon win, NU jumped right back into action with an 8-7 extra-inning win over the Spartans (8-12, 1-3 Big Ten) — its closest contest of the weekend.
Redshirt freshman pitcher Signe Dohse earned her third career start, a continuation of Drohan’s early season strategy of evenly splitting up the ball-hurling responsibilities.
Four separate NU pitchers chimed in during the second game of the doubleheader, with Grudzielanek ultimately earning the win during her four innings at the helm.
In a back-and-forth affair where both teams tallied seven runs in the first four innings before a three-inning scoreless stretch, the ’Cats finally broke the deadlock in the eighth when junior outfielder Kelsey Nader hit a home run.
NU defended its one-run lead in the bottom of the inning, shutting down Michigan State’s offense to secure the win.
With the program’s legendary former coach and home stadium’s namesake Sharon Drysdale in the stands, Drohan’s group closed out its weekend with another 9-2 victory over Michigan State Sunday morning.
Freshman sluggers Avvisato and Garden combined for seven of NU’s 12 total hits in the win, adding two runs and six RBIs to propel the ’Cats to victory.
Garden — who didn’t solidify her spot in the starting lineup until the team’s late February road trip to California — recorded six of her nine career hits in Oklahoma City.
Following a dominant showing against two conference foes, the ’Cats will return to Evanston for their first homestand, hosting Mississippi State for three games at Sharon J. Drysdale Field this weekend.
