‘Cats Look to Stay Hot For A Pair of Midweek Games

Tuesday, April 9

Evanston, Ill.

4 p.m. CT

Northwestern

Notre Dame

Photo by: Will Kennedy

‘Cats Look to Stay Hot For A Pair of Midweek Games

4/8/2019 4:03:00 PM | Softball

NORTHWESTERN SOFTBALL: GAME-DAY INFO
DATE	OPPONENT	TIME	LOCATION	VIDEO STREAM	LIVE STATS
Tuesday, Apr. 9	Notre Dame	4 p.m. CT	Sharon J. Drysdale Field	BTN Plus	Sidearm
Wednesday, Apr. 10	at UIC	6 p.m. CT	Flames Field	ESPN+	StatBroadcast
Social: Twitter (@NUSBCats and @NU_Sports) \| Instagram (nusbcats) \| Facebook Game Notes: Northwestern

EVANSTON, Ill. – Fresh off its third-straight weekend sweep, Northwestern will put its seven-game winning streak on the line in a pair of midweek non-conference matchups.

The Wildcats play host to Notre Dame on Tuesday at 4 p.m. CT before traveling down to UIC for a Wednesday night game beginning at 6 p.m. Ct.

Northwestern is now 29-7 on the season, tied for its best start in the Kate Drohan era. Also with Sunday's 4-0 win at Nebraska, Drohan and her twin sister, (associate head coach) Caryl, improved their career win total to 599 wins.

After going 2-0 and tossing two complete game shutouts while striking out 22 at Nebraska this past weekend, Danielle Williams earned Big Ten Pitcher and Freshman of the Week honors, the conference announced on Monday. The rookie southpaw has now tossed four-straight complete game shutouts and 33.0-consecutive scoreless innings in conference games. Her 19 wins, 10 shutouts, 178 strikeouts and 1.07 ERA (20 ER/131.1 IP) all lead the Big Ten.

This will be the 24th meeting between Northwestern and Notre Dame, with the #B1GCats holding a 13-10 advantage in the series. Last season, the 'Cats went into South Bend and tied the school's single-game record for steals in an 8-3 victory over the Irish. The Irish (24-12, 7-5 ACC) are fresh off a weekend sweep of their own after taking care of business against Boston College.

The Wildcats lead the all-time series against the Flames, 32-9, and have won the last eight matchups between the programs. Last season, the 'Cats scored a pair of runs in the top of the seventh inning to defeat the Flames, 5-3, at the Hoosier Classic. UIC is currently 16-18 this season, but 7-1 when playing at home.

This past weekend, Northwestern outscored Nebraska 20-2 while combing for a team on-base percentage of .415. Eight different Wildcats recorded two or more hits over the series, while 10 'Cats scored at least one run. Rudd led the way, going 4-for-9 with two doubles, two RBI and four runs scored.

The Wildcats have won 12 of its last 13 games and have outscored their opponents 87-20 during that span, with the Wildcats combining for a .310 (107-for-345) batting average. Seven different NU players have recorded 10 or more hits in that span, with Maeve Nelson leading the way with 15 to go along with seven RBI and 13 runs scored.

Rachel Lewis has homered in seven of her last 12 games, extending her total on the season to 11, tied for third-most in the Big Ten. The sophomore from Liberty Township, Ohio now has 28-career home runs, which puts her four away from passing Adrienne Moka (31, 2009-10) for the most home runs by an NU player in her first two seasons with the program.

Northwestern has been exceptional at both the start and end of games this season, outscoring opponents 42-11 in the first inning this season as well as 35-3 in the seventh inning. The #B1GCats are 21-2 on the year when they score first and 18-1 when leading after five innings. Furthermore, the 'Cats are 25-1 this year when they score at least three runs.

Chicago's Big Ten Team resumes conference play on Friday when it welcomes Wisconsin for a three-game series at Sharon J. Drysdale Field. Fans looking to attend any of the #B1GCats home games this week can purchase tickets HERE.

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