The Wisconsin softball team won and lost at the hands of the long ball this weekend, splitting a pair of thrilling games with Michigan State.
Senior outfielder Valyncia Raphael hit a go-ahead solo home run in the top of the seventh inning of game one, giving the Badgers a 2-1 victory. In the second matchup, Spartan senior Kara Weigle broke a 3-3 tie in the bottom of the seventh inning with a walk-off two-run home run, giving Michigan State the 5-3 victory.
Wisconsin (3-13 Big Ten, 15-36 overall) came into the weekend riding the momentum of a 2-0 victory over non-conference opponent Northern Illinois last week. Michigan State (4-13, 20-27) entered the doubleheader having won three of its last four Big Ten games.
Badger senior hurler Leah Vanevenhoven got the ball on Saturday against Spartan freshman pitcher Lauren Kramer. The Badger lineup got to work behind Vanevenhoven, plating a run in the first after a series of errors by the Spartans. Sophomore Jennifer Krueger reached on an error. After being pushed to third by senior Theresa Boruta and sophomore Livi Abney, Krueger scored on another error when Michigan State attempted to throw her out at third.
The Spartans tied the game in the bottom of the third, 1-1. After three scoreless innings, the Badgers came up to bat in the top of the seventh. Raphael hit a solo shot to right center off of Kramer, giving the Badgers the 2-1 lead. Michigan State could not respond in their half of the inning, giving Wisconsin the victory.
Vanevenhoven took the ball once again in game two, but was replaced in the third inning by junior pitcher Letty Olivarez after giving up two runs on six hits and one walk.
Wisconsin and Michigan State got the scoring going early in game two with a combined three runs in the first inning. After one inning, MSU led 2-1. The Badgers regained the lead in the fifth, scoring two runs at the hands of Boruta and freshman Karla Powell.
Olivarez could not hold on to the lead in the top of the seventh, as Michigan State tied the game and won on Weigle's two-run home run.
Vanevenhoven (7-13) got the win in game one, while Olivarez (8-22) recorded the game-two loss. Powell went 3-for-3 in game two, and Krueger went 3-for-7 for the weekend.
The team will now head to Iowa City, Iowa for a doubleheader against the Iowa Hawkeyes Wednesday. The Hawkeyes (9-7, 38-14) dropped a pair of games last weekend to Michigan.
Despite its inconsistency in Big Ten play this season, Iowa brings a well-balanced team into the doubleheader. Badger pitchers will face a strong Hawkeye lineup, with six players hitting over .300 for the season. Junior Colleen McGlaughlin and senior Katie Brown are among team leaders in several different categories, including batting average, hits and doubles.
Game one will start at 5 p.m. with game two slated for 7 p.m.
—uwbadgers.com contributed to this report.
