Softball: Northwestern stunned in 9-5 loss to DePaul
Another swing and a miss.
One wild inning was all it took for DePaul (14-24, 4-11 Big East) to shock Northwestern (17-19, 5-7 B1G) in midweek action. The 9-5 loss marked the Wildcats’ first defeat to the Blue Demons since 2019 (7-9) and the largest margin of loss since 2014 (9-3). DePaul had an RPI of 223 entering the contest; NU sat at 55.
Notably, Abby Harvey started behind the dish for the purple and white, marking her second start of the season. In the circle, both teams cycled through their pitching staff, but DePaul started with Gwen Baker while Northwestern turned to Signe Dohse. The first inning was quiet for both teams: each recorded three outs via strikeouts and balls in play, with just one walk mixed in.
This quickly brought forth the second inning, when NU struck first. After working into a hitter’s count, Bridget Donahey jumped on a pitch down the middle and drove it over the left-center fence for a leadoff home run. Bridget Donahey gets us on the board 💥 Home run #️⃣7️⃣ on the year puts us in front!
T2 | NU 1, DePaul 0 pic. twitter. com/cIqF7TDIuq — Northwestern Softball (@NUSBcats) April 8, 2026 Following the senior’s seventh home run of the year, Kelsey Nader battled for a full-count walk, but the momentum stalled when Harvey grounded into a double play.