No. 14 Northwestern Welcomes Illinois for Tuesday Doubleheader

4/22/2019 6:36:00 PM | Softball

NORTHWESTERN SOFTBALL: GAME-DAY INFO
DATE	OPPONENT	TIME	LOCATION	VIDEO STREAM	LIVE STATS
Tuesday, Apr. 23	Illinois	2 p.m. CT	Sharon J. Drysdale Field	Big Ten Network	Sidearm
Tuesday, Apr. 23	Illinois	Approx. 4 pm. CT	Sharon J. Drysdale Field	Big Ten Network	Sidearm
Social: Twitter (@NUSBCats and @NU_Sports) \| Instagram (nusbcats) \| Facebook Game Notes: Northwestern

EVANSTON, Ill. – No. 14 Northwestern welcomes rivals Illinois for a doubleheader on Tuesday at Sharon J. Drysdale field with game one of the regular season home finale set at 2 p.m. CT.

The Wildcats (36-7, 15-0) will put their undefeated Big Ten record and 14-game winning streak to the test against the Illini in a crucial pair of matchups down the stretch run. Both games on Tuesday will be nationally televised on BTN.

Fans can enjoy softball bingo during both games at The J, and will receive free t-shirts for game one. The first 50 arriving students for game two will receive free tacos.

With eight games left to go in conference play, Northwestern sits alone in first place in the Big Ten with a half-game lead over second-place Michigan and a 1.5 game lead over third-place Minnesota.

The #B1GCats are coming off of a weekend sweep of Purdue at the J, featuring 11-1, 8-2 and 6-3 wins over the Boilermakers.

First year pitcher Danielle Williams picked up two complete game wins in the circle, throwing 20 strikeouts in 14 innings of work. Sophomore Kenna Wilkey had an excellent relief outing in game two, throwing 4.2 innings of shutout ball to earn the win.

First year Jordyn Rudd led the way at the plate with four hits in six at-bats, driving in five runs in part to a grand slam in game one. Rudd, along with sophomore Rachel Lewis and her eight walks, both posted on-base percentages over .800 among the three games. Lewis also picked up four stolen bases.

Northwestern holds a 28-13 advantage all-time against its downstate rivals, and split a doubleheader last season in Champaign.

Illinois is coming off a three-game sweep at the hands of second place Michigan, but owns a 27-17 record overall. The Illini are 6-9 in conference play.

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