#B1GCats Move to 20-0 in Big Ten After Weekend Sweep

Saturday, April 27

East Lansing, Mich.

Noon CT

Northwestern

40-7, 0

Michigan State

15-31, 0

Northwestern

Michigan State

#B1GCats Move to 20-0 in Big Ten After Weekend Sweep

4/27/2019 4:48:00 PM | Softball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2 Gm 1 Box Score (PDF)Gm 2 Box Score (PDF)

EAST LANSING, Mich. – Northwestern improved to 20-0 in conference play and maintained its sole possession of first place with just three games remaining in the regular season after sweeping Michigan State in an afternoon doubleheader on Saturday.

The Wildcats' offense was on full display while being backed by two stellar pitching performances in both of the afternoon games. In game one, Danielle Williams allowed just three hits over 7.0 innings while striking out 13, two short of her season high, as she improved to 26-3 on the season and 13-0 in the Big Ten with a 6-2 victory.

In game two, Kaley Winegarner tossed a two-hit complete game while Northwestern's offense exploded for 14 hits in a 10-1 run-rule victory after five innings.

Four-different Wildcats turned in multi-hit efforts in game one, led by Rachel Lewis–who went 2-for-3 with a homer, two RBI, two runs scored and a walk–along with Jordyn Rudd, who went 3-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored.

Maeve Nelson led the #B1GCats in game two, going 3-for-4 with four RBI, including two homers over the left field video board. Also turning in multi-hit efforts were Rudd, Morgan Nelson and Lily Novak.

It took just two minutes for the Wildcats to take the lead in game one as Rachel Lewis drew a lead-off walk, followed by an RBI-double from Morgan Nelson to give the 'Cats a 1-0 advantage. Jordyn Rudd helped add to the lead with two outs, driving in Nelson with a single through the left side.

Northwestern added to its lead in the top of the fifth inning after Skyler Shellmyer led off with a single up the middle. The next at-bat, Lewis brought Shellmyer around with a double to right field, her eighth of the season, to extend the NU lead to 3-1.

The 'Cats added two more in the top of the sixth after Rudd led off with a single and advanced to third on an error. The next at-bat, Novak drove her in with a double to left-center. Later that inning, Williams helped her own cause in the circle and drove in Novak to add another insurance run and extend the lead to 5-1.

Michigan State got one run back in the bottom of the sixth, however the #B1GCats answered with one run of their own after Lewis led off the seventh inning with a solo homer to center field, her 14th long ball of the season.

The Wildcats kept their foot on the gas pedal to start game two as Maeve Nelson hit a two-run homer to left field, her 10th of the season, to give the 'Cats an early lead which they would never relinquish.

Northwestern added two more the next inning thanks to an RBI-single up the middle from Lewis, followed by a two-RBI double from Nikki Cuchran. In the third inning, the 'Cats plated three more runs via a two-RBI double from Shellmyer and a two-out RBI-single by Maeve Nelson to extend the lead to 8-1. Nelson pushed the lead to nine in the top of the fifth inning with her second homer of the afternoon, marking her first-career multi-homer game.

Northwestern has now won 15-straight matchups against Michigan State dating back to 2011. The Wildcats outscored the Spartans 26-7 in the three-game series, totaling 17 extra-base hits while hitting .374 (34-for-91) and limiting MSU hitters to a .191 average (13-for-68)

Chicago's Big Ten Team will be back in action next weekend when it travels to Minneapolis to take on No. 16 Minnesota in its final regular season series.

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