Northwestern University Athletics
Sunday, March 10
Norman, Okla.
1 p.m. CT
Northwestern
17-6
0
at
8
Oklahoma
20-2
1
2
3
4
5
R
H
E
Northwestern
0
0
0
0
0
0
3
1
Oklahoma
0
7
0
1
X
8
11
0
‘Cats Go 3-2 Over Weekend in Oklahoma
3/10/2019 3:58:00 PM | Softball
NORMAN, Okla. – Northwestern moved to 17-6 on the season following its 3-2 showing at Oklahoma this past weekend.
The Wildcats opened the weekend off with a dramatic 2-1 win over Drake in extra-innings thanks to a game-tying single from Danielle Williams in the seventh inning and a walk-off single from Nikki Cuchran in the bottom of the eighth.
Following a 7-0 setback to No. 3 Oklahoma on Friday night, they then swept both games on Saturday thanks to solid all-around efforts from the offense and pitching staff. The #B1GCats offense erupted for nine runs on eight hits in a 9-1 run-rule victory over Tulsa on Saturday morning as Williams picked up her 12th win on the season. Later that afternoon, the 'Cats kept the momentum rolling as they scored seven runs in the first three innings while accumulating 11 total hits in a 7-2 win over Grand Canyon as Kenna Wilkey tossed her third complete game of the year.
On Sunday, the 'Cats were unable to overcome a strong second-inning from Oklahoma as the No. 3 ranked Sooners (20-2) took the rematch between the two teams, 8-0, in five innings.
Morgan Nelson led the Wildcats' offense over the weekend as she finished with an astronomical 1.319 OPS and hit .500 (7-for-14) with two doubles, a triple and four RBI. She turned in multi-hit efforts in each of the 'Cats last three games of the weekend, including going 2-for-3 against the Sooners on Sunday.
Also continuing her hot start to the season was Jordyn Rudd, who went 5-for-12 at the plate with four RBI and two runs scored, extending her season total to a team-high 25 RBI on the season. Maeve Nelson also had another productive weekend as she scored a team-high five runs for the Wildcats, drawing four walks and finishing with three hits.
Cuchran also had a big weekend at the plate as she went 5-for-16 with four RBI and two runs scored. She recorded a series of memorable at-bats throughout the weekend: from her walk-off single on Friday, to a two-run homer against Tulsa (the first of her career) as well as a 10-pitch at-bat against Grand Canyon which ended in her hitting a two-RBI double to left-center. Through five weeks of action, Cuchran leads the team with 24 hits and a .353 batting average.
In the circle, Williams is now 12-3 on the season with a team-leading 1.34 ERA (16 ER/83.1 IP). She also crossed the century mark in strikeouts against Tulsa on Saturday and has 103 on the season. Wilkey now sits on 5-2 on the year with 52 strikeouts. Both Newport and Kaley Winegarner saw action in relief against Oklahoma as Newport allowed only one hit and an unearned run in 2.2 innings on Friday, while Winegarner surrendered just one run in 2.0 innings on Sunday.
Northwestern will be back in action next Saturday as they travel to Bloomington, Ind. for two games. They face Toledo at 9 a.m., followed by a matchup against Indiana in the afternoon that will count as a non-conference game for both teams.
The Wildcats opened the weekend off with a dramatic 2-1 win over Drake in extra-innings thanks to a game-tying single from Danielle Williams in the seventh inning and a walk-off single from Nikki Cuchran in the bottom of the eighth.
Following a 7-0 setback to No. 3 Oklahoma on Friday night, they then swept both games on Saturday thanks to solid all-around efforts from the offense and pitching staff. The #B1GCats offense erupted for nine runs on eight hits in a 9-1 run-rule victory over Tulsa on Saturday morning as Williams picked up her 12th win on the season. Later that afternoon, the 'Cats kept the momentum rolling as they scored seven runs in the first three innings while accumulating 11 total hits in a 7-2 win over Grand Canyon as Kenna Wilkey tossed her third complete game of the year.
On Sunday, the 'Cats were unable to overcome a strong second-inning from Oklahoma as the No. 3 ranked Sooners (20-2) took the rematch between the two teams, 8-0, in five innings.
Morgan Nelson led the Wildcats' offense over the weekend as she finished with an astronomical 1.319 OPS and hit .500 (7-for-14) with two doubles, a triple and four RBI. She turned in multi-hit efforts in each of the 'Cats last three games of the weekend, including going 2-for-3 against the Sooners on Sunday.
Also continuing her hot start to the season was Jordyn Rudd, who went 5-for-12 at the plate with four RBI and two runs scored, extending her season total to a team-high 25 RBI on the season. Maeve Nelson also had another productive weekend as she scored a team-high five runs for the Wildcats, drawing four walks and finishing with three hits.
Cuchran also had a big weekend at the plate as she went 5-for-16 with four RBI and two runs scored. She recorded a series of memorable at-bats throughout the weekend: from her walk-off single on Friday, to a two-run homer against Tulsa (the first of her career) as well as a 10-pitch at-bat against Grand Canyon which ended in her hitting a two-RBI double to left-center. Through five weeks of action, Cuchran leads the team with 24 hits and a .353 batting average.
In the circle, Williams is now 12-3 on the season with a team-leading 1.34 ERA (16 ER/83.1 IP). She also crossed the century mark in strikeouts against Tulsa on Saturday and has 103 on the season. Wilkey now sits on 5-2 on the year with 52 strikeouts. Both Newport and Kaley Winegarner saw action in relief against Oklahoma as Newport allowed only one hit and an unearned run in 2.2 innings on Friday, while Winegarner surrendered just one run in 2.0 innings on Sunday.
Northwestern will be back in action next Saturday as they travel to Bloomington, Ind. for two games. They face Toledo at 9 a.m., followed by a matchup against Indiana in the afternoon that will count as a non-conference game for both teams.
••••••
Be the first to know what's going on with the 'Cats -- Follow @NU_Sports on Twitter, become a fan of Northwestern Athletics on Facebook, check us out on Instagram, visit our Social Media page and download our mobile app from the Apple Store and Google Play! To get involved with the #B1GCats, become a season-ticket holder or join the Wildcat Fund.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Juarez, Giselle (9-0)
L: Williams, Danielle (12-3)
Batting:
SH: Nelson, Maeve 1
Base Running:
HBP: Rudd, Jordyn 1 ; Lewis, Rachel 1
Batting:
2B: Aviu, Falepolima 1
HR: Aviu, Falepolima 1 ; Lyons,Grace 1 ; Elam, Lynnsie 1
RBI: Knighten, Shay 1 ; Aviu, Falepolima 2 ; Flores, Eliyah 1 ; Lyons,Grace 3 ; Elam, Lynnsie 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Romero, Sydney 1 ; LaValley, Audrie 1 ; Aviu, Falepolima 1 ; Alo, Jocelyn 1 ; Green,Grace 1 ; Lyons,Grace 1 ; Elam, Lynnsie 1 ; Mendes, Nicole 1
SB: Romero, Sydney 1
HBP: Clifton, Caleigh 1 ; Lyons,Grace 1
Game Leaders
AB
3
R
0
H
2
RBI
0
AB
2
R
0
H
1
RBI
0
AB
2
R
0
H
0
RBI
0
AB
2
R
0
H
0
RBI
0
Players Mentioned
IF
/ SoftballIF
/ SoftballIF/C
/ Softball
C/U
/ Softball
P
/ Softball
P/U
/ Softball
P
/ SoftballSoftball - Lauren Boyd Tosses Complete Game Shutout, 'Cats Blank Kentucky in NCAA Regional (5/16/25)
Friday, May 16
Softball - 'Cats Storm Back, Secure Series Victory at No. 8 UCLA (5/4/25)
Sunday, May 04
Softball - 'Cats Earn 8-0 Run-Rule Win at No. 8 UCLA (5/2/25)
Saturday, May 03
Softball - Kaylie Avvisato Hits Walk-Off Home Run, 'Cats Take Series vs. Wisconsin (4/27/25)
Sunday, April 27
