After getting its first taste of ranked competition last weekend, Northwestern headed to Fayetteville, Ark. for a five-game set with No. 8 Arkansas and Southeast Missouri.
The Wildcats (6-9, 0-0 Big Ten) went 2-3, losing a trio of games against the No. 8-ranked Razorbacks (13-1, 0-0 SEC). NU experienced two ends of possible results, as it run-ruled the Redhawks (3-10, 0-0 OVC) while Arkansas shut out the ’Cats twice.
Junior pitcher Riley Grudzielanek opened the weekend in the circle for NU against Southeast Missouri on Friday. She threw five innings of one-run ball, conceding just two hits, walking six batters and striking out six. It was her third outing this season with at least four innings pitched and two earned runs or less allowed.
Grudzielanek received run support immediately after the first inning of her stint in the circle, courtesy of some fielding miscues by the Redhawks. After an error and a fielder’s choice, graduate student infielder Grace Nieto and senior outfielder Kelsey Nader came around to score. In the second inning, NU extended its lead to 3-0 with an RBI double from senior infielder Bridget Donahey.
Both teams scored a run in the fifth inning, and with a 4-1 lead, sophomore pitcher Emma Blea entered the game and earned her first save of the season. The ’Cats returned to the field in the afternoon and suffered a different result.
NU was no-hit by the Razorbacks, earning just two baserunners during its 6-0 loss. The ’Cats also committed three errors, each leading to unearned runs over the course of the contest.
In its second contest against Southeast Missouri on Saturday, NU showed the capabilities of its offense. After trailing 1-0 in the first inning, the ’Cats scored 12 runs and allowed no hits in the next five innings. Sophomore infielder Kaylie Avvisato led NU with a career-high five RBI, including a grand slam during the team’s eight-run sixth inning. Freshman pitcher Marina Mason shut down the Redhawks in the circle, allowing one hit and tallying seven strikeouts in five innings.
The volatility of the ’Cats’ offense was seen again as they were again shut out by Arkansas later on Saturday. NU mustered five hits in the 7-0 loss, but the defense proved a struggle, committing two errors.
In the final game of the weekend on Sunday, the ’Cats managed to score against the Razorbacks, losing in a back-and-forth 9-8 battle. The teams traded five-run innings, and NU tied the contest at 6-6 in the fourth inning, but an Arkansas three-run homer in the fifth proved to be the deciding factor.
Mason shut down the Razorbacks for the remainder of the fifth and sixth innings, and a home run from Donahey put the ’Cats within one run, but they could not find the equalizer. NU is now 0-6 against ranked opponents this season.
The ’Cats look to grab their first ranked win when they take on No. 23 Duke, Boston University and Ohio State next weekend.
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Softball: Northwestern takes down Southeast Missouri, swept by No. 8 Arkansas
