Jessica Smith has won a pair of Big Ten Pitcher of the Week awards this season.Jessica Smith has won a pair of Big Ten Pitcher of the Week awards this season.

Jessica Smith Earns Second Big Ten Pitcher of the Week Honor This Season

April 4, 2011

EVANSTON, Ill. -- Senior Jessica Smith (Encinitas, Calif./La Costa Canyon) has been named the Big Ten's Pitcher of the Week for the second time this season after fanning a career-high 12 batters in a two-hit shutout of Loyola (Chicago) Saturday at Sharon J. Drysdale Field.

Smith allowed just two Ramblers to reach base on singles, but still faced the minimum 27 batters in the game. The first to earn a hit was thrown out trying to steal by catcher Paige Tonz (Peoria, Ariz./Centennial) while the second was erased when Smith started a 1-6-3 inning-ending double play later in the contest.

Smith struck out the side in the sixth frame to erase her previous career-high of nine strikeouts before adding her 12th of the game in the seventh inning. The win was No. 999 in Northwestern history; the Wildcats would go on to pick up victory No. 1,000 in the second game of their Saturday doubleheader versus Loyola.

Smith shares this week's honor with Indiana's Morgan Melloh.

Northwestern returns to action at 4 p.m. CT tomorrow, Tuesday, April 5, against DePaul at Sharon J. Drysdale Field before taking on Northern Illinois at 4 p.m. CT Wednesday, April 6, also at Drysdale Field in Evanston.

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