Wisconsin (4-3-1 Big Ten, 19-15-1 overall) split its doubleheader against Purdue, winning game one 9-5 and dropping game two 5-4 Saturday afternoon at Goodman Diamond.
Purdue (4-6, 22-17) jumped out to a quick 1-0 lead in the top of the first, but a nice double play started by sophomore third baseman Kelsey Jenkins ended the inning. UW tied it up in the bottom of the first after senior shortstop Ashley Van Zeeland attempted to bunt for a hit and Purdue threw the ball away. Van Zeeland came all the way around the bases to score on the error.
Following a 1-2-3 inning by pitcher Kirsten Stevens in the top of the second inning, junior first baseman Sara Novak gave the Badgers a 3-1 lead on a long two-run homerun to centerfield.
After Purdue scored two runs in the top of the fourth inning to the tie the game, Wisconsin exploded for five runs. Novak was hit by a pitch to lead off the inning and Katie Christner followed with a bunt single. Senior second baseman Macy Oswald stepped up and slapped a RBI single through the left side of the infield to score Flugaur, then Jenkins and Chloe Miller would then each reach on a fielder’s choice, scoring two more runs. Sophomore Sam Arents had the big hit in the inning dropping, a double down the left field line, driving in two more runs for the Badgers.
Arents said she was just looking to battle and drive in runs.
“I was just looking to put ball in play there,” Arents said. “It was really a big opportunity and that’s why I’m in the five spot, to put ball in play and especially when runners are on base and to score runners so that’s all I was thinking was ‘battle, battle, battle’ and try and just get a ball in play and do whatever I could.”
Wisconsin added one more run in the bottom of the sixth inning on another RBI double by Arents.
Stevens pitched three and 2/3 innings, allowing three runs (one earned) and a walk, with no strikeouts. Junior Taylor-Paige Stewart relieved Stevens and picked up the win for UW, tossing three and 1/3 innings, allowing two runs, one walk and three strikeouts.
In game two, Wisconsin jumped out to a quick 1-0 lead on a RBI single by Miller. That lead, however, did not last long as Purdue slapped the ball around the diamond in the third inning, culminating to a 4-0 lead.
Solid pitching and defense took over for both teams in the middle innings. Purdue picked up a critical run in the top of the sixth inning after Oswald lost a pop-up in the sun.
UW didn’t go away quietly in the bottom of the seventh, however. With runners on first and second, Jenkins hit a RBI double. Van Zeeland followed with a RBI single and Purdue’s lead was cut to 5-3. Miller knocked in another run on a fielder's choice. However, the Wisconsin rally, and the game, ended with Cross flying out.
Stevens picked up the loss, lasting only two and 1/3 innings, allowing four runs on six hits with one strikeout. Stewart came in and provided stability, going four and 2/3 innings, allowing one unearned run on one hit while striking out five Boilermakers.
Head coach Yvette Healy was pleased with the split.
“For as good as Purdue’s pitching is, they have one of the top ERAs and pitching staffs in the conference, for us to just be able to put up some runs, we’re really proud of them,” Healy said. “You know we went from last year not winning many Big Ten series and then this year you just chip away, so we’ve got one Big Ten series win and we’ve got a split and now we have a chance to win another one. We’re really patient with our progress and we’re pleased with just seeing us chip away and to take game one from their ace is a really big deal.”
Healy, however, was disappointed with her team’s overall defense.
“I wanted better defense, that’s the only thing that I would say going into it,” Healy said. “I think they had some good hits but I think we had some phenomenal defense, you saw Ashley Van Zeeland at short, she’s a senior that is just unreal, I mean I’m already missing her and she hasn’t graduated yet, but across the board we had to be sharper in more spots and I think we made it a little too easy in some scenarios and that last run that we gave up, the fifth run, turned out to be the one that hurt.”
Wisconsin finishes the series with Purdue Sunday afternoon at 1 p.m.
