With the first week of Spring Quarter triumphantly in the books, let’s look back on seven days of home-openers, top 10 match-ups and major softball milestones you may have missed.
SOFTBALL
The Wildcats didn’t see much action this week coming off last Sunday’s home loss to Michigan, but the two games they did play were all they needed to reach a major program milestone. By sweeping Saturday’s doubleheader against Loyola at Sharon J. Drysdale Field (winning the first game 6-0, the second 6-3) Northwestern softball notched its 1,000th victory in the program’s 35-year history.
Sophomore shortstop Emily Allard led the way with two RBIs on three hits in the second game to seal the historic win. The performance of the day, however, came in the first game, when starting senior pitcher Jessica Smith set a new career-high with 12 strikeouts as she put together a masterful shutout.
BASEBALL
After a tough start to the week for Northwestern at Rocky Miller Park, the Wildcats rebounded with a strong weekend in Columbus to open the Big Ten season. Wednesday’s home opener against Valparaiso ended in a discouraging 5-2 defeat, with sophomore starting pitcher Jack Havey struggling to get through a four-inning outing, giving up four runs in the process. The Wildcats got back on the right track Saturday defeating Ohio State 7-3, with junior first baseman Paul Snieder’s three RBIs making the difference. Sunday’s rematch was a sensational seesaw affair, with Northwestern fighting back from a seven-run deficit to tie the Buckeyes at 14 in the top of the ninth inning before eventually losing in the bottom part of the frame. Nonetheless, it was a big day for both Havey and Snieder, who combined for seven RBIs on the day.
WOMEN’S LACROSSE
Coming into the week sitting pretty at 9-0, including three straight wins against ranked teams, the Lacrosse team was full of confidence. Yet even with their tremendous play of late, the Wildcats found themselves down three goals in the second half of Saturday’s home contest against third-ranked Duke, and in desperate need of some late heroics to keep their undefeated season alive.
Down 8-5 with less than 27 minutes remaining in the game, Northwestern finished the game on a 7-4 run. That rally was highlighted by a three-goal streak, including two from junior Jessica Russo and a big game-tying strike from freshman Kara Mupo. While Duke rallied late to tie, the Wildcats secured the 12-10 victory as Shannon Smith and Erin Fitzgerald both scored in the 54th minute. The comeback win closed out a brutal stretch of the Wildcats’ schedule and was a terrific tune-up for their upcoming national title push.
MEN’S TENNIS
The Northwestern Men’s Tennis squad had an up-and-down week in Big Ten play, losing in blowout fashion to Ohio State on Saturday in Evanston before rebounding nicely with a clutch 4-3 home win against Penn State on Sunday. The 7-0 loss to the No. 3 Buckeyes was a fairly demoralizing exercise, with the Wildcats unable to win a single set. Nonetheless, the team showed terrific resilience the next day, sweeping the doubles portion of the matchup against Penn State to eke out a win. Sophomore Sidarth Balaji’s three-set thriller clinched the victory for the Wildcats, who moved to 10-8 on the season with the win.
WOMEN’S TENNIS
Unlike the Men’s team, the Women’s Tennis squad was more than a match for the Buckeyes, securing a powerful 5-2 win in Columbus on Friday. Senior Maria Mosolova, ranked No. 13 in the NCAA, won both her matches to carry the day for the Wildcats. Sunday provided an even more impressive Northwestern performance, with the Wildcats shaking off the long trip to State College to shut out Penn State, 7-0. The undefeated week extended Northwestern’s winning streak to six games, and their overall record to 11-5.