Northwestern University Athletics
Friday, April 16
Iowa City, IA
3 p.m.
Northwestern
19-6, 0
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Iowa
14-10, 0
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Northwestern
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Iowa Hawkeyes
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Photo by: S. J. Carrera, Inc.
Danielle Williams Tosses Perfect Game in 7-0 Win Over Iowa
4/16/2021 6:21:00 PM | Softball
IOWA CITY, Ia. – Danielle Williams pitched the fifth perfect game in program history as the Wildcats routed the Iowa Hawkeyes 7-0 to open a four-game weekend series at Iowa.
The Wildcats got out to a quick 1-0 lead off a solo shot from Rachel Lewis to left field, her first of four hits on the day. From there, Williams took care of the rest. Williams struck out six in her seven innings, completing the first perfect game for Northwestern in 16 years, and the first seven-inning perfect game since Lisa Ishikawa on Apr. 28, 1984.
Northwestern tacked on three runs in the top halves of both the sixth and seventh innings. Following a Lewis leadoff single, Jordyn Rudd lined a RBI double into right center. Five pitches later, Morgan Newport crushed a ball to straight away center for her fifth long ball of the season, bringing her RBI total to team-high 20.
To start the seventh, Nikki Cuchran, Lauren Boyd, and Iowa native Skyler Shellmyer all drew walks. Lewis drove in Cuchran on her fourth hit of the game, followed by a two-RBI single by Jordyn Rudd.
Lewis finished a double shy of the cycle, going 4-for-4 at the plate with a homer, a triple and two sinlges while scoring three runs.
Rudd finished with three hits on four at-bats, driving in three runs. Williams finished things off by striking out the Hawkeyes' best hitter, Denali Loecker, improving to 10-2 on the season with a 1.53 ERA.
The Wildcats improve to 19-6, tied for the most wins in the conference. Chicago's Big Ten Team will be back in action on Saturday with a doubleheader, beginning at 3 p.m. CT on ESPNU.
The Wildcats got out to a quick 1-0 lead off a solo shot from Rachel Lewis to left field, her first of four hits on the day. From there, Williams took care of the rest. Williams struck out six in her seven innings, completing the first perfect game for Northwestern in 16 years, and the first seven-inning perfect game since Lisa Ishikawa on Apr. 28, 1984.
PERFECT. ??
— Northwestern Softball (@NUSBcats) April 16, 2021
Danielle Williams retired all 21 batters for the 5th perfect game in program history. #GoCats | #FightForVictory pic.twitter.com/09JdSLLen5
Northwestern tacked on three runs in the top halves of both the sixth and seventh innings. Following a Lewis leadoff single, Jordyn Rudd lined a RBI double into right center. Five pitches later, Morgan Newport crushed a ball to straight away center for her fifth long ball of the season, bringing her RBI total to team-high 20.
To start the seventh, Nikki Cuchran, Lauren Boyd, and Iowa native Skyler Shellmyer all drew walks. Lewis drove in Cuchran on her fourth hit of the game, followed by a two-RBI single by Jordyn Rudd.
Lewis finished a double shy of the cycle, going 4-for-4 at the plate with a homer, a triple and two sinlges while scoring three runs.
Rudd finished with three hits on four at-bats, driving in three runs. Williams finished things off by striking out the Hawkeyes' best hitter, Denali Loecker, improving to 10-2 on the season with a 1.53 ERA.
The Wildcats improve to 19-6, tied for the most wins in the conference. Chicago's Big Ten Team will be back in action on Saturday with a doubleheader, beginning at 3 p.m. CT on ESPNU.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Williams, Danielle (11-2)
L: Shaw (4-1)
Batting:
2B: Rudd, Jordyn 1
3B: Lewis, Rachel 1
HR: Lewis, Rachel 1 ; Newport, Morgan 1
RBI: Lewis, Rachel 2 ; Rudd, Jordyn 3 ; Newport, Morgan 2
Base Running:
RUNS: Shellmyer, Skyler 1 ; Lewis, Rachel 3 ; Bartz, Emma 1 ; Newport, Morgan 1 ; Stanley, Sammy 1
SB: Stanley, Sammy 1
Game Leaders
AB
4
R
3
H
4
RBI
2
AB
4
R
0
H
3
RBI
3
AB
4
R
1
H
1
RBI
2
AB
3
R
1
H
0
RBI
0
Players Mentioned
P/IF
/ Softball
IF
/ SoftballIF/OF
/ SoftballP/U
/ SoftballC/U
/ SoftballOF
/ Softball
P/U
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