In the last game of its weekend series versus Illinois, Wisconsin narrowly lost 1-0.
The Badgers struggled throughout the game on offense, never once recording more than one hit in an inning. They finished with just four total at the conclusion of the afternoon.
While both teams struggled to get going on offense, nothing of the sort can be said of their respective pitchers.
Junior pitcher Breanna Wonderly pitched a complete-game shutout for the Illini, while third-year lefthander Kirsten Stevens pitched five scoreless innings for the Badgers.
However, after Stevens left the game, Wisconsin’s conference rivals were able to finally get on the board. In the sixth inning, Illinois scored the game’s only run (via a fielder’s choice) with sophomore Taylor-Paige Stewart in the game, ultimately leading to a win.
UW head coach Yvette Healy thought her team did give itself chances to win, with the best one coming in the sixth inning.
“We led off and Macy [Oswald], a senior, comes through with a big hit to lead off the bottom of the sixth,” Healy said. “And I think in that situation we’re going to score nine times out of 10 but they just shut us down.”
It was a disappointing end to the weekend for Wisconsin, but Healy remained upbeat after the game and thanked the local community for supporting her team. She also mentioned the difficulty of playing for a large crowd, as Goodman Diamond housed 1,242 fans on Sunday.
“When you see kids show up and cheer for the Badgers with their faces painted it means a lot to our team,” Healy said. “To be able to play in front of a big crowd of fans is tough. It’s wonderful and exciting, but for some of our players, they’ve never seen anything like it. This atmosphere helps get you ready for the postseason. It helps you get ready for the Big Ten Tournament because this is what it feels like.”
Up next for the Badgers is in-state rival Green Bay, who senior shortstop/catcher Chloe Miller is looking forward to playing.
“I think this game against Green Bay is going to give us a really good chance to get back at the couple of losses we had this weekend, and really just fight for seven innings,” Miller said.
The Badgers will face the Phoenix in a doubleheader beginning 2 p.m. Tuesday, where they will look to improve their offensive output.
