The Wisconsin women's softball team (5-7 Big Ten, 25-21 overall) settled for a split of the two-game series against Indiana (2-8, 25-25 overall). The Badgers managed to score a total of only four runs while holding the Hoosiers to just three. In a series dominated by pitching, UW sophomore Sara Gonzales truly sparkled. Her mastery of the mound was on display Saturday as she pitched the third complete game of her career, allowing six hits and one run, and struck out three on her way to her second win of the season.
Indiana escaped with a victory in the first game of the series by a score of 3-2, as UW left 15 runners on base and wasted a stellar pitching performance by freshman Eden Brock, who allowed only two earned runs in eight and two-thirds innings and at one point retired 14 consecutive Indiana batters. It was a disappointing loss for the Badgers, who were playing a Hoosier team that had yet to win a conference game in seven previous tries before arriving in Madison.
The offense never did fully come to life in the series. Gonzales' only run support, an RBI single by senior outfielder Diana Consolmagno in the first inning, was all that she would need to stave off Indiana. Hoosier sophomore pitcher Mariangee Bogado also threw an outstanding game, striking out three and giving up seven hits in five innings, but also giving up the lone run in taking the loss in Game 2 to split the series with the Badgers.
Sunshine, 75 degrees, a couple of hot dogs and a Coke are the perfect ingredients for a ball game. That's just what the crowd got at the UW Badgers' softball doubleheader versus Purdue (2-8 Big Ten, 25-19 overall) Sunday. Unfortunately for the Badgers, they could not win both games but sure provided some exciting softball all day.
In the first game of the pair, the wind was giving more worry to UW than Purdue's bats as the Badgers beat the Boilermakers 4-2. Junior shortstop Kris Zacher put on her regularly scheduled hitting clinic as she went two for three with one run scored, one RBI, one walk and a triple. Junior pitcher Katie Layne toed the rubber for the Badgers and kept the Boilermakers off the base path until the sixth inning when she issued a free pass to leadoff hitter sophomore shortstop Tricia Lilley and a single to freshman designated hitter DaQueta Johnson. After two quick outs, the Badger hurler showed signs of fatigue when she walked freshman pinch hitter Catherine Zaworski on four straight pitches. Sophomore reliever Sara Gonzales came in to right the ship but failed to locate the strike zone as well and walked in another run.
\You don't walk in runs, that's unacceptable ... They need to nail the coffin, it's just not an acceptable thing to do at this level,"" Head Coach Karen Gallagher said. Freshman pitcher Eden Brock entered the pitcher's circle and finally shut Purdue down to secure the win.
Brock made a return appearance in the second game, where that same wind played fairly with both teams and may have been a deciding factor in the game. Purdue struck first as Brock allowed two runs in the third. The Badgers responded with one run in the fourth and went into the seventh inning down one run. Gusts in excess of 30 mph assisted the Badgers when junior catcher Boo Gillette went deep to the left field and tied the score at two.
""I just said to myself 'I'm better than you.'... I love high and inside and I just pulled it,"" said Gillette of the homer.
Unfortunately, the bottom of the seventh saw the wind hurt Wisconsin as what should have been a routine fly ball was knocked around and fell to the ground scoring the Boilermaker runner from second. The Badgers will look to play like they did in the first game when they start a five-game road trip April 22 and face Northern Iowa.
