By Brendan Preisman

It took some stellar pitching, a major offensive explosion, and some extra innings, but the Northwestern Wildcats won their twelfth consecutive Big Ten series. The series victory over Purdue keeps Northwestern atop the Big Ten with a 15-2 conference record, just one game ahead of 14-3 Michigan. Overall, the team is now 29-9 and has won 21 of its last 23 games.

The series began about as well as the ‘Cats could have hoped. After a quiet first inning in Game One, Northwestern erupted in the second inning, putting up three runs. Hannah Cady, Isabel Cunnea and Ayana Lindsey all got hits in the frame, and both Emma Raye and Ainsley Muno reached base as well. 

In the third inning, Northwestern padded the lead when a towering Bridget Donahey blast to left center brought home Angela Zedak for two more runs. A Kelsey Nader sacrifice fly brought home Kansas Robinson to add additional insurance in the fourth. The Wildcats added three more runs in the fifth to put the game out of reach when Donahey hit her second two-run homer of the game, and Cunnea homered in the next at-bat to push the lead to 9-0.

The goose egg remained on the scoreboard for Purdue throughout the game thanks to another dominant Ashley Miller performance. Miller allowed just two hits and two walks throughout five innings of work, and also struck out five Boilermakers. Purdue placed just two runners past second base throughout the entire game, and on both occasions Miller induced a swinging strikeout to quell the threat. After five innings of work, it was all over, with a 9-0 run-rule win secured.

In the second game, the pendulum swung back towards Purdue thanks to brilliant pitching by Purdue’s Julia Gossett. She was just 8-9 on the season entering the game, but slapped up six innings of work and gave up just five hits. An error allowed the only Northwestern runner on third in the first four innings.

The fourth inning was also when Purdue’s bats woke up for the first time in the series. After Kyndall Bailey and Sage Scarmardo reached base, Tyrina Jones ripped a double towards left field to score them both. It was essentially the only big hit Cami Henry allowed all day, but the two runs were a massive shift in what had previously been a scoreless tie. 

A Robinson single in the fifth inning brought home Lindsey to halve the deficit, but Northwestern couldn’t string together consistent hits. In the seventh inning, Robinson got aboard with a walk from Purdue reliever Kendall Klochack, providing a chance for the Wildcats to force extras. Unfortunately, a Cady flyout left Robinson stranded at third after sacrifices from Nader and Zedak moved her around the basepaths. Thanks to the timely double and some clutch pitching, Purdue escaped with a 2-1 victory.

In the winner-take-all game three, both teams gave it everything they had. Klochack got the start for Purdue, and quickly gave up back-to-back doubles to Robinson and Nader to give Northwestern the lead. The Boilermakers would respond in the next inning, with a pinch-hit double from Jordyn Ramos scoring Bailey and Jones. Ramos was thrown out when heading to third, but the hit gave Purdue a 2-1 lead after two innings. 

The Boilermakers padded the lead in the third inning after Khloe Banks scored from third on an infield groundout. After the two doubles in the first inning, Klochack was magnificent, allowing just one baserunner from the second inning through the fifth inning. In the fourth, Miller came in as a reliever and quickly induced six straight outs. The Wildcats, however, desperately needed some offense, and they got it from Nader and Zedak in the sixth.

After Nader singled and stole second, Zedak hit a blast over the left field fence to tie the game at three. The Wildcats stranded two on base in the inning, but had already knotted up the game. Neither team was able to find much offense after that, and the series-clinching game needed extra innings.

The top of the Northwestern order was quickly dealt with in the eighth, but Miller responded with a quick four-batter inning. Donahey and Cunnea walked to start the ninth inning, and Lindsey singled Donahey home to take the lead. An error by the shortstop in the next at-bat allowed Robinson to reach base and another run to score. After Robinson stole second, a Nader single scored both her and Lindsey, pushing the lead to four. Miller’s only baserunners in the bottom half of the inning were walks, and her relief performance sealed a 7-3, nine-inning victory.

After defeating one team in the middle of the Big Ten standings, Northwestern will have to take on another. The Wildcats will travel to Lincoln to take on the Nebraska Cornhuskers for a three-game series beginning Friday, April 26.