Kate and Caryl Drohan Secure 600th Win Against Notre Dame on Tuesday

4/9/2019 7:28:00 PM | Softball

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EVANSTON, Ill. – Northwestern knocked off Notre Dame, 3-1, on Tuesday at Sharon J. Drysdale field for the 600th win of head coach Kate Drohan and associate head coach Caryl Drohan's Career.

The two coaches have been at Northwestern for 18 seasons and amassed an impressive 600-352-1 record.

The Wildcats improved to 30-7 after picking up a top-30 RPI win against the Fighting Irish.

Sophomore Kenna Wilkey earned the win in the circle with an effective start, throwing 4.0 innings and allowing just one run on two hits. She boosted her record on the season to 8-2.

First year Danielle Williams was credited with her second save of the season for 3.0 scoreless innings of relief, allowing just one hit while striking out three. Williams is working on a scoreless inning streak that now stands at 37.

Senior Morgan Nelson came up with the biggest hit of the day for the Wildcat offense, and went 2-3 from behind the plate with two RBI.

First year Jordyn Rudd tallied the other RBI on the day while going 1-2, and now has a team-high 34 RBI in 37 games.

Sophomore Mac Dunlap had an especially impressive game in the field at third base, recording three put-outs and a team-high five assists including a clutch double-play in the fifth inning with Notre Dame threatening on the bases.

Junior Morgan Newport and Senior Lily Novak each picked up a double while first year Skyler Shellmyer also recorded a hit.

Northwestern struck first in the bottom of the second after Rudd was hit by a pitch and Novak crushed a double off the right field fence. With two runners on, Shellmyer loaded the bases with a crafty dodge of a tag down the first base line.

Morgan Nelson scorched a ground ball into left field with two outs to score Shellmyer and Novak, giving the 'Cats a two-run lead. NU is now 22-2 when it plates the first run.

Newport laced a one-out double down the right field line in the third and was replaced by Emma Bartz on the bases. Rudd drilled a ball up the middle to score Bartz and make it 3-0. The 'Cats are 14-0 when Bartz scores a run.

Wilkey and Williams combined to keep the Fighting Irish at bay, but Dunlap and the Wildcat defense came up in a huge way in the fifth inning. With runners on second and third with one out, Williams induced a ground ball to third. Dunlap and Rudd caught the runner going home in a pickle, and after Dunlap applied the tag, she turned around to nab the runner coming from second for a unique double play to end the inning.

Chicago's Big Ten Team resumes midweek action tomorrow when it makes the crosstown trip to face UIC. First pitch is set for 6 p.m. CT.

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