Megan Lilley, Adrienne Monka and Olivia Zolke were each honored on Senior Weekend, playing their last ever games as Wildcats at Sharon J. Drysdale Field. They could not have asked for a better result.
Northwestern had lost six straight games to Illinois coming into the weekend series, but it was able to change the momentum of the rivalry. In doing so, the ‘Cats earned a legitimate shot at winning their first NCAA Tournament berth in three years.
Game 1
Northwestern fell behind 1-0 in the first inning of the first game of a doubleheader on Friday when Illini shortstop Jessica Davis connected on a solo shot off of Amy Letourneau.
An Emily Allard double to right field evened the game in the bottom of the third inning, but Illinois’ Jess Perkins responded in the fifth with another solo home run for the Fighting Illini.
Although it was Senior Weekend, it was a newcomer that reignited the offense in the bottom half of the inning. Freshman second baseman Anna Edwards hit a solo homerun to tie the game, 2-2.
When Illinois pitcher Pepper Gaye underthrew the ball, senior Adrienne Monka capitalized on the error, smacking a double that brought home Kristen Scharkey for a 3-2 lead.
Letourneau then shut the door, preventing a hit in the final two innings and delivering her sixth complete game of the season.
Game 2
A four-run first inning was the difference in the Cats’ victory in the doubleheader’s second game.
Marisa Bast hit a sacrifice fly with the bases loaded to tie the game and the next batter, Sammy Albanese, ripped a single to put Northwestern in the lead.
Later that inning, with two outs, Albanese and freshman right fielder Olivia Duehr executed a double steal. Albanese scored from third and Duehr took second, catching the Fighting Illini off guard and taking a 4-1 lead.
All that base-running may have left Albanese a bit tired. She returned to the mound in the second inning and promptly loaded the bases, allowing Illinois to cut the lead to two runs. Head coach Kate Drohan then brought junior Meghan Lamberth in relief, who allowed a single for another run but then stopped the bleeding.
Lamberth did not allow a single run for the remainder of the game and the Wildcats tacked on an additional three runs for a 7-3 win to sweep the doubleheader.
Game 3
On Saturday, Lamberth took the circle again and picked off where she left off the day before.
While she had a rough second inning, throwing a wild pitch and then allowing a run on a two-out single, she then settled in and only allowed four hits in a complete game victory. She threw 11 2/3 consecutive innings over two days.
While going scoreless for the first three innings, the Wildcats seemed to be simply toying with the Fighting Illini before taking over in the fourth.
Northwestern earned a pair of walks to begin the inning before freshman Anna Edwards reached on a bunt to load the bases. Olivia Duehr’s sacrifice fly evened the score at one. An Illinois error with one out gave Northwestern the 2-1 lead.
That is when the volcanic eruption of offense began.
Mari Majam slapped a check-swing single down the third base line with the bases loaded to score two runs. Adrienne Monka then walked to reload the bases and Marisa Bast singled to score another two runs, giving the Wildcats a 6-1 advantage. Sammy Albanese followed up with a two-RBI double, finally prompting a pitching change.
Illinois eventually escaped from the inning, but not before Anna Edwards, batting for the second time in the inning, hit an RBI triple.
By the time that fourth inning was over, Northwestern had scored nine runs – only one of them earned – on five hits to put the game out of reach.
A sixth-inning single down the left field line by Sammy Albanese gave the Wildcats a 10-2 lead, and the eight-run advantage evoked the mercy rule, ending the game and giving the Wildcats the series sweep.
Where Northwestern stands:
At six games, this is Northwestern’s longest wining streak since April 2009, and it could not have come at a better time. The late-season push allowed the Wildcats to finish tied for fourth in the Big Ten with a 14-10 record in conference play.
Northwestern has played 12 games against teams currently ranked in the national Top 25 poll. While they have only won two of those contests, the Wildcats boosted their strength of schedule and have made up for those losses with a winning conference record. With this resume, they may have played their way into the NCAA Tournament.