Northwestern Softball Wins Series vs. Conference Foe in Dramatic Fashion

In Northwestern's final home series of the 2025 season, it took two-of-three from Wisconsin , securing the series win on Senior Day. The 'Cats are now 27-16-1 overall and 14-5 in Big Ten play. Northwestern dominated in game one with Lauren Boyd on the mound.

The Wildcat offense was firing on all cylinders early, and they jumped out to a 9-0 lead after just three innings. They also benefited from multiple Badger errors in the field. Boyd was dominant early and never let Wisconsin back into the game.



Northwestern won via the run-rule after five innings by a score of 11-3. Six different hitters drove in runs for the 'Cats on 14 total hits in the game. Game two looked a lot different.

This time, Northwestern's offense struggled mightily against Wisconsin starter Molly Jacobson. Kansas Robinson drove in two runs for the Wildcats, but that was the extent of the offensive production in the contest. Meanwhile, NU starter Riley Grudzielanek had a rough outing.

She allowed four earned runs in three innings of work, walking three batters. But when she came out of the game, the score was still 4-2. Northwestern was certainly alive.

It was poor defense that put the nail in the coffin. Reliever Renae Cunningham allowed four runs in the fourth inning, but only one was earned. From there, Northwestern was unable to get back into the contest and fell 8-2.

In the rubber match on Sunday, Northwestern had its ace back in the circle for Senior Day. Boyd was solid again, allowing three runs in a complete game, striking out five. The only problem was, Northwestern struggled to get its offense rolling again.

Heading into the bottom of the seventh, the 'Cats had yet to push a run accross the plate and trailed 3-0. That's when, for the first time since game one, Northwestern's offense finally came alive. The scoring started with a Grace Nieto RBI-double down the left field line that scored one.

Then, a Kelsey Nader sacrafice fly got the 'Cats within one. With a runner on base, shortstop Kaylie Avvisato stepped to the plate. The first-year promptly launched a walk-off home run to help the seniors get a 4-3 win on their big day.

Looking ahead, Northwestern will play its final series of the regular season at UCLA next weekend before shifting its attention to postseason play. The Big Ten Tournament begins on May 7. Read More Northwestern Wildcats Coverage.