April 17, 2009
Northwestern's Purdue Game Notes (PDF Format) 
EVANSTON, Ill. -- With three games since Wednesday already in the books, No. 10 Northwestern concludes a five-contest week with a Big Ten series this weekend at Purdue.
The Wildcats and Boilermakers face off in single games Saturday and Sunday, with both first pitches scheduled for 1 p.m. CT/2 p.m. local time. Out of NU's four remaining conference series, three are on the road.
Northwestern has won its last 10 meetings with Purdue dating back to 2004, outscoring the Boilers 61-8 in those games with four run-rule victories, including two last year.
NU began play this week with a sweep of No. 23 Iowa Wednesday at Sharon J. Drysdale Field before shutting out Loyola (Chicago) in Rogers Park Thursday afternoon. Against the Hawkeyes, the Wildcats outlasted their opponents, 6-5, in nine innings in the first game of a double-dip before exploding for a 16-5, five-inning victory in game two.
Iowa entered Evanston with the third-best team ERA in the nation before NU hit five home runs and scored 22 times in the two games. Freshman Adrienne Monka (Rancho Cucamonga, Calif./Rancho Cucamonga) led the way in those contests, going 5-for-7 with a whopping 10 RBIs and a pair of homers. She was 4-for-4 in the second game before homering again Thursday during a 3-for-3 effort against the Ramblers.
Sophomore hurler Jessica Smith (Encinitas, Calif./La Costa Canyon) made a triumphant first start of the season at Loyola, scattering five hits for a complete-game shutout, the second of her career. Smith made her 2009 debut with a scoreless inning April 4 against Indiana after an offseason injury kept her out of action during the first half of the year.
Senior Erin Dyer (Homer Glen, Ill./Lockport) hit her 11th home run of the season Thursday to give her 40 for her career. She is the third Wildcat in program history to reach the 40-home run plateau.
Senior Tammy Williams (Roscoe, Mo./Osceola) enters this weekend within spitting distance of a pair of milestones. She needs four base hits to reach 300 for her career and is two homers shy of NU's all-time record of 55.
VOTE FOR TAMMY!
Senior Tammy Williams is one of 10 finalists for the 2009 Lowe's Senior CLASS Award. Fan voting counts for 1/3 of the final tally, and fans can vote once per day until May 7. Visit www.seniorclassaward.com or text SB10 to 839863 on your mobile device.