A late-season surge is developing into something spectacular for a team that has always been capable.

Last week, I positioned the series win against Purdue as a do-or-die moment for Northwestern’s season, a stretch that would reveal how much the team wanted it. By the end of the weekend, I think it’s safe to say the answer was clear: they want it bad.

Purdue is arguably the toughest opponent since Michigan earlier this month, and when I saw Friday’s score heading into the seventh, I’ll admit that I wasn’t optimistic.

But then the remarkable happened, and Northwestern pulled off the win despite all odds — cementing the first result as the tone for the rest. After the game, when Emma Raye was asked what the comeback win meant moving forward, it was clear how much this victory resonated with the group.

“It’s just teaching us how to fight,” Raye told Kayla Helman, the sideline reporter for Purdue’s broadcast. “As we keep going into the Big Ten Tournament and hopefully postseason, we’re gonna battle.”

And over the past week, the fight has translated into big results.

This has not been a clean or predictable run. The Wildcats have trailed, they’ve been tested and at times they’ve failed to play as a team. I’ve certainly had my doubts and concerns along the way, especially revolving around consistency and how the team would handle pressure in tighter moments. But this weekend, and the later stretch of this month, has offered a brighter picture of what this group can become.

Raye later added that the team’s journey is all about the fight and grit they have, and at this point, it’s hard to disagree. Northwestern is now riding a 10-game win streak and sits closer to postseason hopes than ever. Maybe momentum is building late, but it’s still building nonetheless.

To say my hopes are sky-high would be an overstatement, but I must admit, I’m excited for what’s to come.

Comebacks haven’t been a defining feature in Northwestern’s season.

In fact, before last week’s stretch of games, only 8.7% of wins were via comeback (that’s only two, by the way). Too often has this season’s early deficit felt decisive with little reason to expect a turnaround.

Maybe that’s why I’m so astonished by this week’s reversal. After a season of struggling to climb back, NU erased three deficits this week: first in the midweek matchup with NIU and twice in the Purdue series.

Of course, there is a reason for this to happen. A hunger for a postseason likely looms in the heads of the Wildcats — it’s hard not to think about the future, even if taking things one game at a time.

But no matter what is driving the production, it’s certainly happening. In the Purdue series, the ‘Cats hit .523 in situations where they could advance runners, consistently extending innings rather than letting opportunities fade.

On top of this, when trailing in the four games this past week, Northwestern hit .367 with a .500 on-base percentage, a combination that helped sustain innings and keep chipping away down the stretch.

And while pressure didn’t always translate immediately, it did build over time. 60% of Northwestern’s runs this week came in the final three innings, finally showing that the team is capable of wearing down opponents and not rolling over.

This is a huge step for the team that I can only hope becomes a trend. Now that the ‘Cats have proven they can consistently absorb deficits and create opportunities to tilt the game back in their favor, the door widens for the types of games they can win.

Obviously, you never want to be in a hole, but things happen, and teams are good. It is unrealistic and unfair to expect Northwestern to always score first. The correct expectation is that the team faces a challenge head-on and avoids panicking when adversity hits.

Instead of forcing early control, Northwestern has shown this week it can stay patient, chip away and create chances late in the game. It’s up to the team how often they choose to lean into this identity, but for success in the Big Ten Tournament and beyond, getting comfortable with it may not be optional.

The junior had yet to pitch more than two innings in a game this season, but on Saturday, she stayed in the circle for seven and completely controlled the tempo. After Grudzielanek surrendered four runs with no outs, Cunningham was thrown into a situation that could have unraveled quickly. The priority at that moment is usually simple: stop the bleeding and give your offense a chance. But who would have expected what came next?