#B1GCats Blank Iowa, 6-0, to Secure Weekend Sweep

3/31/2019 4:10:00 PM | Softball

Box Score Season Stats (PDF)Box Score (PDF)

IOWA CITY, Iowa – Northwestern earned its 11th shutout of the season and improved to a perfect 6-0 in Big Ten play as they earned their third-straight weekend sweep with a 6-0 win at Iowa on Sunday afternoon.

Danielle Williams tossed her second shutout of the weekend and her eighth of the season to improve to 17-3 on the year, the second-most wins in the Big Ten and the most by any rookie pitcher in the nation. She allowed just two hits while striking out nine, seven of which came over the final 4.0 innings.

Kenna Wilkey powered the Wildcat bats early on, driving in a season-high four RBI. She was one of six different Wildcats to register a hit on the afternoon.

Northwestern improves to 25-7 on the season, matching its best start since 2007. The Wildcats are 6-0 in conference play for the first time since 2015, when they started 8-0.

Williams allowed a lead-off walk to begin the game but then retired 12-straight batters after that as she carried a no-hit bid into the fifth inning.

The 'Cats struck first in the top of the second inning after Morgan Newport led off with a single, followed by a one-out hit by Lily Novak and a walk from Williams. With the bases loaded, Wilkey came through with a sacrifice fly to center field to score Newport. The Wildcats improve to 18-2 this season when they score first.

In the fourth inning, Wilkey came through once again with the bases loaded as she smacked a laser to the right-center wall to clear the bases and score Jordyn Rudd, Novak and Williams.

The Wildcats added two more runs in the seventh inning via a Maeve Nelson home run that hit the center field video board to score two and make it 6-0. The home run was Nelson's sixth.

Williams struck out the side for the second time on the day to close out the win in the seventh.

Chicago's Big Ten Team is back in action for a midweek matchup at home against crosstown rivals Loyola on Wednesday. First pitch at "The J" is set for 4 p.m. CT.

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