TEMPE, Ariz. – A collegiate debut can be one of the most special moments in an athlete’s life, and for Northwestern freshman left fielder Kate Renschen, that day came on Sunday morning. 

Regardless of the result, it would have been a surreal moment for the freshman.

However, just appearing in her debut wasn’t enough for Renschen, as her first collegiate at-bat resulted in a grand slam to deep right field, putting her team up nine runs. Only two innings later, she did something even more improbable by notching an inside-the-park home run.

Renschen finished the day 2-2 with 5 RBIs.

This performance was a microcosm of Northwestern's dominance over Memphis in its 14-5 victory. Due to the mercy rule, the game only went five innings.

The Wildcats started the affair by immediately shelling Memphis starting pitcher Rylee Dugar with a two-RBI double by center fielder Kaylie Avvisato. 

Dugar exited after only ten pitches for freshman Avery Stutts, yet the Wildcats added another three runs in the frame. 

Northwestern pitcher Emma Blea then started her stellar performance by mowing through the top of Memphis’s order with three groundouts. 

The Wildcats kept the ball rolling in the top of the second inning with another three runs. Most of their run production came from first baseman Kansas Robinson, after she blasted a two-run double to left center. 

After another scoreless inning from Blea, Northwestern poured in even more runs off the bat of Renschen’s grand slam. Along with Renschen, the Wildcats gave multiple freshmen opportunities in the box due to their large lead. 

Memphis finally got on the scoreboard after stringing a couple of hits in the bottom of the third to cut the score to 13-1. It’s hitters finally got into a rhythm in the bottom of the fifth, which spoiled a complete game bid from Blea.

Northwestern finished outhitting Memphis 11-4, while both teams collected two errors in the game. 

Memphis finishes its Kajikawa Classic journey on Sunday afternoon versus Arizona State. Northwestern will head off to Clearwater, Florida, to compete in the Shriners Children's Clearwater Invitational next weekend.