Amid basketball disappointment and women's hockey elation, the UW softball team is still finishing its non-conference schedule, traveling the country and warming up for the Big Ten season.
The Badgers went 3-2 over the weekend in Tampa, Fla. as part of the South Florida Speedline Invitational, bouncing back from two early losses to win the second-tier title of the tournament.
After a 3-0 loss to Ball State Friday, in which Wisconsin managed just one hit, senior outfielder Samantha Polito began to heat up. She eventually broke the Badgers' all-time runs scored record when she crossed home plate for the 114th time in her career Sunday afternoon.
Polito scored in each of Wisconsin's final two games in Florida, with victories over Kent State and conference rival Indiana. She has already scored 15 times this season, helping the Badgers to a 15-7 record as they head into their first home game of the year next Tuesday.
But Polito's runs were not the only reason Wisconsin rolled to three straight victories Saturday and Sunday. Badger pitching allowed only one run during single elimination play, finishing the tournament with a shutout of Indiana.
Eden Brock combined with freshman Letty Olivarez against Indiana, allowing three hits over three innings. But Brock began her Sunday much earlier, matching a career high with 14 strikeouts against Kent State in the semifinal en route to her eighth win of the year.
But making opposing hitters miss was not the only key to victory throughout the three-day contest. Wisconsin hitters also connected with regularity to close out the tournament, with Athena Vasquez in particular finding her home run stroke. The senior infielder went deep against Indiana in the fourth inning, driving in three runsA-—including Polito's record setting 114th—and effectively shutting the door on the Hoosiers.
Sophomore outfielder and pitcher Ricci Robben also got hot against the Big Ten competition, stroking two doubles and going 4-4 for the game. She batted .385 over five games in Florida.
Wisconsin will face 4-11 Loyola of Chicago next Tuesday at Goodman Field. The Ramblers are coming off of a surprising 3-0 victory over 17th-ranked Illinois State last week, the team's first win over a ranked opponent since 2000. Still, Loyola has struggled this year and will enter their meeting with Wisconsin as the underdog.
After their one-game set with Loyola, the Badgers will begin their conference season with a trip to Penn State. They will play almost non-stop until the Big Ten Tournament in May once the regular season begins.
If the Badgers are lucky, hitters like Polito and Vasquez will remain hot, and pitchers like Olivarez and Brock will continue to throw shutouts. However, with the experience of three-day tournaments behind them, the Badgers are hoping luck has little to do with their performance this season.
