Cats’ Corner: Your source for NU athletics

Forget the four-run lead Northwestern just blew. Forget the 16 walks junior pitcher Lauren Delaney issued in nine previous innings of work.

All you need to know about Northwestern softball was emboddied in the last at-bat of Emily Haug. The junior catcher had seen just 21 at bats all season entering Wednesday’s game against No. 23 Iowa.

But on a full count and a runner at third, Haug delivered for the No. 10 Wildcats to cap a 6-5 win in nine innings.

Was there any doubt that NU’s pinch hitter would deliver in the clutch situation?

“Emily is a great hitter, but having her come off the bench and knowing she’s going to have a great at bat and that she’s going to work hard to score that runner is something that every team doesn’t have,” senior shortstop Tammy Williams said.

“Everyone knew she was going to go in there, put the ball in play and go for it. You never know if someone is going to get a hit. But you had a good feeling she was working for it and wanted it.”

“It’s always the right call to bring in Emily Haug,” coach Kate Drohan said. “I can’t make a mistake with that. She’s a terrific hitter. She appreciates and values every single one of her opportunities.”

Northwestern did not have one of its best games Wednesday. Delaney was struggling with her location and put too many runners on base — three of Iowa’s five runs came at least in part because of walks in the first game. But even when its usually strong pitching struggled and put pressure on them, the Cats delivered.

Just like with Haug’s hit, there was no doubt. Even with Iowa’s ace Brittany Weil, and her 0.96 ERA entering the game, in the circle, there was no doubt that any trouble the Cats got into, they would work their way out of.

The usual suspects delivered. There was a Tammy Williams home run and a couple of key defensive plays. Back-to-back blasts from Adrienne Monka and Michelle Batts.

But what was more impressive was how NU responded in the second game of the doubleheader.

The Hawkeyes jumped on the board first in the top of the inning. That 1-0 lead was as close as Iowa would get to a split for the day.

Sophomore Robin Thompson led off the inning with a double, touching off a six-run first inning. The Cats refused to look back, crushing the Hawkeyes in the next four innings, before the game ended in a 16-5 mercy rule finish.

It was all-out attack mode for NU in the second game and there was no room for any doubt this time.

The measure of a good team is how it responds to adversity. The Cats stood up to adversity Wednesday and cooly told it to go elsewhere. They took control of the game themselves — most notably when catcher Erin Dyer yelled at Delaney to simply fix it in a crucial moment of game two.

NU certainly has a long way to go to be ready for its ultimate goal: a return trip to the Women’s College World Series and, perhaps, a national championship.

But consider Wednesday’s games exhibit A that they can and will not back down from any challenge. No matter how good or bad they might be playing.

By Zach Buchanan

Three Northwestern players scored in double digits, but it wasn’t enough as Iowa ran away with a 74-46 victory.

The Wildcats (5-13, 1-6 Big Ten) kept it close through the first half to trail only 29-24 at halftime, but the Hawkeyes (11-7, 4-3) convincingly pulled away in the second period for the 28-point win.

“I think in the second half we didn’t really show up,” said NU center Amy Jaeschke. “But in the first half we played them to a five-point game, so that’s one thing that we can build off of for the next game.”

The Cats had trouble finding a rhythm on offense, often hurrying shots instead of using the entire shot clock. NU began relying on threes once Iowa had established a firm lead midway through the second half. This high-risk, high-reward strategy was employed to narrow the gap, but failed when NU made only five of 21 long-distance attempts.

“Some nights, shots don’t fall,” said freshman NU forward Brittany Orban, who scored a career- and team- high 13 points. “Maybe then we need to look to drive more and try to get some fouls instead of just throwing up threes.”

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