Big Ten competition has not been easy for the Rutgers softball team this season. This weekend saw Northwestern come to town for a three-game series, and while the Scarlet Knights put up a spirited effort against the Wildcats, the results were not what RU would like to have seen from their squad.
Game One, Friday, April 18. The Wildcats began the scoring in the top of the first inning to take the early 1-0 lead. But the second inning proved to be the critical one, as the visitors scored four more off Rutgers starting hurler Ella Harrison, fashioning their rally with two walks, two passed balls, and four stolen bases, along with a two-run home run from junior Kansas Robinson.
Up 5-0, the Wildcats would add one more in the third when Harrison went to a full count against designated player Avery Garden, who then delivered an RBI single to center to put Northwestern up, 6-0, which finished out the game’s scoring.
Meanwhile, the Scarlet Knights were being two-hit by the standout pitching of graduate student Lauren Boyd, who earned her ninth win of the season with six innings of work in which she rang up 10 strikeouts. Harrison took the loss for Rutgers.
Game Two, Saturday, April 19. Early on, it appeared that the weather was not the only thing that would be warm on Saturday afternoon. The bats of the Scarlet Knights started off hot as Georgia Ingle singled home Bailey Briggs to put RU up, 1-0, in the bottom of the first inning.
But the Wildcats quickly responded with a home run off the bat of Bridget Donahey to tie the game in the second inning.
The Scarlet Knights then took the lead when a based-loaded walk in the bottom of the frame again gave them a one-run advantage.
Harrison was again in the circle for Rutgers, but she was unable to hold the lead as the Wildcats scored twice in the fourth to take a 3-2 lead, then added one more in the fifth on their way to a 4-2 victory. Harrison took her sixteenth loss of the year, while Northwestern’s Renae Cunningham collected her third win this season in relief of starter Riley Grudzielanek.
Game Three, Sunday, April 20. The Wildcats came out with a fire in the final game of the series, and their bats feasted on RU starting pitcher Laurelai DePew.
In a run-rule victory on Easter Sunday, the Wildcats disposed of the Scarlet Knights in five innings, collecting 12 hits and taking advantage of four errors by Rutgers on their way to an easy 11-0 shutout victory.
Boyd collected her tenth win of the year for the victorious Wildcats, while DePew took the loss for Rutgers.
With a record of 17-31 on the year, the Knights will now look to quickly regroup and prepare for a solo game against LIU on Wednesday, April 23. The Sharks are 21-19 this season, having most recently defeated Wagner, 6-2, over the weekend. Now 1-14 in conference play, Rutgers will then host Big Ten opponent Illinois for a three-game series that commences on Friday, April 25 in Piscataway.
