Wildcats drop final game of series to Michigan with 8-3 loss
Just 30 minutes after a thrilling 6-4 series-clinching victory over the No. 23 Michigan Wolverines, the Wildcats were back at it at Sharon J. Drysdale Field for the final game of the weekend.
Danielle Williams got the start for Northwestern, returning to the circle shortly after securing the save by striking out the side. However, the top of the Wolverines lineup was ready to attack from the get-go, as graduate outfielder Kristina Burkhardt led off with a double to center on the second pitch of the game.
Two batters later, the Wolverines would jump out to a 1-0 lead with a single to center by graduate second baseman Melania Livingston, and would score just two pitches later on a double from graduate third baseman Taylor Bump, leaving the Wildcats in a two-run deficit going into the bottom of the first.
Veteran lefty pitcher Meghan Beaubien took the circle for Michigan and promptly sat down graduate outfielder Rachel Lewis and senior catcher Jordyn Rudd, the two heroes of game one of the doubleheader, for a 1-2-3 inning.
Williams regained control in the top of the second, giving up just one walk and no hits, giving the Wildcats a chance to begin yet another comeback with clean-up hitter and senior shortstop Maeve Nelson leading off the bottom half of the inning.
While Nelson did just that by roping a triple down the right field line to set up Northwestern with a runner in scoring position, she was stranded there as Beaubien recovered with a line out, groundout and foul out, consecutively.
With some hits and hit-by-pitches for each team scattered throughout, both the Wolverines and Wildcats went down in order in the third and fourth innings, including some stellar defense by Northwestern senior first baseman Nikki Cuchran as she snagged a line drive over her head to leave a runner on base for Michigan in the top of the fourth.
After another strong inning from Williams in the top of the fifth, the Wildcats finally got on the board. Junior designated player Sydney Supple started off the rally with a single to right field, and freshman Ayana Lindsey was brought in to pinch run. Following a sacrifice bunt by freshman second baseman Grace Nieto, senior outfielder Skyler Shellmeyer walked. Rudd finally plated a run for Northwestern as Lindsey scored on her single up the middle, cutting the Michigan lead to 2-1 going into the top of the sixth.
The Wolverines responded immediately, as Williams gave up a lead-off walk to Livingston, who then scored on a Bump double to left center. Williams would stop the bleeding there, however, as she sat down the next three Michigan batters with two strikeouts and a groundout.
Continuing their sixth inning heroics from the first game of the doubleheader, Cuchran led off the Wildcats' half with a home run to dead center field, cutting the Wolverine lead to one yet again. Supple then doubled to right with two outs in the inning, knocking Beaubien out of the game. Freshman Lauren Derkowski would come in to strand that runner, maintaining Michigan's 3-2 lead heading into the seventh.
Although Williams quickly got two outs in the top of the seventh via pop up and strikeout, the Wolverines once again started up a rally as freshman outfielder Ellie Sieler doubled to right field. The next batter, senior catcher Hannah Carson, was hit by a pitch to put two runners on for Livingston, who once again came in clutch with a single up the middle to extend the Michigan lead to 4-2.
Bump subsequently loaded the bases with a walk, which junior first baseman Lauren Esman quickly cleared with a double to left field on an 0-1 pitch, breaking the game open for the Wolverines. Junior outfielder Audrey LeClair tacked on an eighth run for Michigan with a single up the middle, scoring Esman and forcing Northwestern to bring in senior pitcher Lauren Dvorak in relief for Williams.
The Wildcats' effort would not prove to be enough in the bottom of the seventh, despite a Shellmeyer double to left center and steal to third to lead off the inning, eventually scoring on a Lewis sacrifice fly to right to make the final score 8-3.
With the loss, the Wildcats win streak of 14 comes to an end, but they walk away with their second-straight conference series victory. They continue play in South Bend on Tuesday for a midweek matchup with Notre Dame at 4 pm CT.
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