Softball Game Preview: Northwestern Tigers vs. Rochester Zebras

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Previous 6 Games

05/20/23 - Away	2-12 L
05/21/22 - Home	10-0 W
05/22/21 - Neutral	14-2 W
05/18/19 - Home	12-2 W
05/19/18 - Away	2-7 L
05/20/17 - Away	0-10 L

Northwestern and Rochester are an even 3-3 against one another since May of 2017, but likely not for long. The Tigers will be playing in front of their home fans against the Zebras at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday.

On Monday, Northwestern didn't have quite enough to beat Wabash and fell 5-3. That's two games in a row now that the Tigers have lost by exactly two runs.

Northwestern saw eight different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Leah Turffs, who went 1-for-3 with one triple and one RBI. That triple marked the first that Turffs has hit this season.

Meanwhile, Rochester came tearing into Monday's contest with four straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 11.5 runs), and they left with even more momentum. They came out on top against the Tigers by a score of 11-6.

Rochester got a massive performance out of Aubrey Miller, who went 3-for-5 with three stolen bases and three runs. Jadyn Field was another key player, going 1-for-4 with one home run and two RBI.

Rochester kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 13 hits. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now got at least nine hits in five consecutive matchups.

Rochester's victory was their fifth straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 16-4. Those road wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 12.8 runs over those games. As for Northwestern, this is the second loss in a row for them and nudges their season record down to 7-12.

The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Wednesday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Northwestern has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 8.9 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Rochester struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 10.5 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.

Northwestern suffered a grim 12-2 defeat to Rochester in their previous matchup back in May of 2023. Will the Tigers have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more softball content.