Wildcats Blank Huskers, Remain Undefeated in Big Ten

Friday, April 5

Lincoln, Neb.

5:30 p.m. CT

Northwestern

Nebraska

Wildcats Blank Huskers, Remain Undefeated in Big Ten

4/5/2019 8:15:00 PM | Softball

Box Score Box Score (PDF)

LINCOLN, Neb. -- Northwestern rode its winning formula to a fifth straight victory on Friday night at Nebraska, as the Wildcats shut out the Huskers 8-0.

The #B1GCats maintained their perfect start to conference play, improving to 7-0 while also bolstering their overall record to 27-7. The 'Cats have now won 10 out of their last 11 games.

First-year Danielle Williams continued her recent tear, throwing her third complete game shutout in a row, holding to the Huskers to just three hits while striking out 10. Williams has now thrown 21 straight scoreless innings while striking out 34 in that frame. The shutout was Williams' ninth of the season and Northwestern's 12th as a staff.

A balanced Wildcat offense produced an explosive output once more, with six different players driving in a run. Senior Lily Novak led the way with three RBI on a 2-for-4 performance at the plate with a double and a triple.

First years Nikki Cuchran and Jordyn Rudd each turned in multi-hit efforts, with Cuchran going 2-for-3 with a double, a walk and a run scored. Rudd went 2-for-4 with a double, two runs scored and an RBI, extending her season total to a team-high 32 RBI.

Sophomore Rachel Lewis and first year Maeve Nelson each chipped in with solo home runs. Lewis slugged her team-high 10th home run of the season, while Nelson launched her seventh of the campaign, the second-best mark on the squad.

First year Lauren Caldrone also notched an RBI, her first of the season, on a sacrifice fly while making a pinch hit appearance in the top of the seventh.

The first three innings were a pitchers duel in Lincoln before the Wildcats grabbed the lead in the fourth. Cuchran led off with a double, and was replaced by Mac Dunlap on the bases. With one out, Williams gave herself some run support with a sacrifice fly to score Dunlap and make it 1-0. The 'Cats are now 19-2 when scoring first.

The Northwestern bats exploded in the fifth inning after Lewis led off the frame with a home run to left-center. Two batters later, Maeve Nelson expanded the lead to 3-0 with an opposite field long ball.

After a single from Cuchran and a walk from Morgan Newport, Novak crushed a double to right-center to plate two and make it 5-0.

The Wildcats piled on in the seventh inning with back-to-back power swings from Rudd and Novak. Newport walked to lead off the frame, and Rudd scored her with a double before being brought in herself by a Novak triple. Caldrone scored Novak with a sacrifice fly the end the damage with an 8-0 scoreline.

Chicago's Big Ten Team will put its perfect conference record to the test tomorrow in game two against the Huskers, with first pitch set for 1 p.m. CT.

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