Williams, Boyd Dominate in Double-Header Sweep

Friday, February 26

Leesburg, Fla.

9 am CT

Northwestern

1-0, 1-0

Michigan State

0-1, 0-1

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	Runs R	Hits H	Errors E
Michigan St.	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	2
Northwestern	2	1	2	0	0	0	X	5	7	0

Williams, Boyd Dominate in Double-Header Sweep

2/26/2021 5:55:00 PM | Softball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

LEESBURG, Fla.- Northwestern softball kicked off its season on Friday with a double-header sweep of Michigan State. The 'Cats took both games by a score of 5-0, moving to 2-0 on the season.

Pitching was the story of the day, as Northwestern allowed just three hits and zero runs combined over the two games.

Junior Danielle Williams, the 2019 NFCA National Freshman of the Year, returned to her usual dominant form in game one. Williams surrendered just one hit and struck out eight over seven scoreless innings. Williams made an impact on the other side of the ball as well, blasting a RBI-triple in the third inning.

Jordyn Rudd opened the scoring in game one with a two-run single in the first inning. Angela Zedak scored on an error in the second to make it 3-0, and Williams' third-inning triple extended the lead to 5-0. Senior Rachel Lewis went 3-for-3 and stole two bases to lead the 'Cats offensive attack.

First-year Lauren Boyd got the start in game two for her collegiate debut. Boyd was phenomenal, allowing just two hits and no walks over seven innings, while striking out five. Boyd is the first Wildcat pitcher to toss a shutout in her debut since Williams one-hit Pacific in her first start on Feb. 8, 2019.

The Wildcats' bats were quiet to start game two, with a Morgan Newport RBI-triple providing the lone run heading into the sixth inning. Maeve Nelson broke the game open in the seventh with a bases-clearing triple, one of four triples on the day for Northwestern. She later scored on a wild pitch to extend the lead to 5-0. Skyler Shellmyer reached base three times in the game, going 2-for-2 with a hit by pitch.

Northwestern will be back in action tomorrow with a double-header against Rutgers. First-pitch for game one is set for 9 a.m. CT, with the second game set for 11:30 a.m. CT. Both games will be televised on BTN+.