Maryland softball (17-24, 4-10 Big Ten) continued to struggle when it was swept by conference-leading Northwestern (26-8, 12-1 Big Ten) this past weekend.
The Terps moved to 3-12 on the road and have now lost seven straight.
Freshman pitcher Julia Shearer struggled in her start Friday, putting Maryland in an early 4-0 hole. Despite strong relief work thereafter and a formidable rally in the final two innings, the Terps fell just short, 5-4.
Saturday’s game was one to forget for head coach Lauren Karn’s squad. It got on the board in the first inning, but then saw the Wildcats rally off 12 straight runs — including four homers — before the run-ahead rule was put into place after the fifth inning.