Good evening, I’m Brendan Preisman. It’s time for your NU Sports Report for the week.
SOFTBALL
The softball team closed their season out with a series win over Rutgers, clinching a year in which they won every Big Ten series they played. The first win over Rutgers also clinched the outright Big Ten title for the Wildcats, who currently sit at 19th overall in the latest rankings. The conference title is especially sweet as the second straight the team has won. The series also concluded a stretch in which the team went 15-2.
The heroes of the series were Danielle Williams and Kansas Robinson. In the first game of the series, Robinson had a 2-run home run and RBI single. She followed that up by going 2-for-3 in the next game. As for Williams, she forever etched her name in program lore. In the first game, she went 5 innings and allowed just one hit. She then followed that up by going the distance in the third game of the series. In that game, despite six hits, she was able to keep Rutgers off the scoreboard. The win was her 17th of the season and the 100th of her illustrious career. The team begins the Big Ten tournament tomorrow against either Maryland or Iowa.
MEN’S TENNIS
The men’s tennis team participated in the NCAA tournament over the weekend. Their first matchup was against UCLA, and the team was able to win, 4-2. The Wildcats took the doubles point easily, winning both matches. The teams were Gleb Blekher with Ivan Yatsuk and Simen Bratholm with Steven Forman. Things seemed bleak after that, with UCLA taking the first two singles matches. However, Northwestern would bounce back strong. Bratholm and Forman both won their singles matches, putting UCLA on the brink. Gleb Blekher lost the first set of the clinching match, but won both the second and third sets to seal victory. The tennis team advanced to the second round for the third straight year.
Their opponent was Kentucky, and at first things appeared great for the purple Wildcats. Bratholm and Forman took the first doubles match, which was a great sign. Unfortunately, Northwestern then dropped the next two doubles matches, giving the point to Kentucky. In singles, Yatsuk won his match, as did Blekher. Presley Theineman also won his match to put Northwestern one win away from advancing. They could not. The ‘Cats collapsed at the worst possible time, with Bratholm, Forman, and Trice Pickens all blowing one-set leads. When the dust settled, Kentucky had won 4-3 and advanced to the next round.
LACROSSE
The women’s lacrosse team won the Big Ten tournament in a 14-9 defeat of Maryland. The game marked the second time in a month Northwestern beat Maryland, both for conference titles. Izzy Scane, the Big Ten attacker of the year, led the way with 4 goals and 2 assists. Erin Coykendall, Hailey Rhatigan, and Maddie Taylor all had 2 goals apiece to help the offense along. On defense, Molly Laliberty was a brick wall, saving 11 of the 20 shots that came her way. Thanks to a dominant second half in which they outscored Maryland 7-3, Northwestern was on cruise control in the second half. The team was named the #1 overall seed for the upcoming NCAA tournament. Their first opponent will be either Michigan or Central Michigan this Sunday, May 14.
BASEBALL
The struggles for the baseball team continue, as they’ve now lost seven of their last eight games. The Wildcats were swept by Indiana in a series where the offense never really got going. In the first game, only Stephen Hrustich had multiple hits. The second game went to extra innings, but Northwestern gave up 3 runs in the top of the 12th to seal the loss. In the third game, the offense did show up, scoring nine runs. Unfortunately, the pitching collapsed, giving up 11 runs on 10 hits and completing the series sweep. To make matters worse, the team then lost yesterday on the road to Milwaukee, a team from the Horizon League. At this point, fans of the team should be grateful that the season ends later this month.
BASKETBALL
And finally, some great news for the men’s basketball team. Boo Buie, the graduate student point guard, announced that he would return for one final year in purple. Buie was named first-team all Big Ten last year after a stellar season. He averaged 17.3 points, 4.5 assists, and 1.1 steals per game last year. He was also the main offensive player on the team’s improbable run to finish second in the Big Ten. Following the excellent season, Northwestern received their second ever bid in program history to March Madness. Buie scored 22 points in the team’s first round victory over Boise State. He also scored 18 points in a valiant effort in the second round loss to UCLA. With Buie returning, the basketball program hopes they won’t have to wait long to make a third appearance in the Big Dance.
**Photo credit to Northwestern Athletics (@NU_Sports) on Twitter.
