The Wisconsin Badgers opened the 2023-24 season with a convincing 18-1 win over Bryant & Stratton College at Goodman Softball Complex.
Catcher Emmy Wells set the stage for success against the Bryant & Stratton Bobcats with a home run in the first inning, bringing both Hilary Blomberg and Paige Miller home. The Badgers swarmed the field to congratulate their teammates.
The Badgers ended the first inning leading 5-0 after Emily Bojan and Alivia Bark scored, with RBIs from Bojan and Skylar Sirdashney.
Tessa Magnanimo pitched the first two innings, not allowing a single Bobcat on base in the bottom of the second. Similarly, Shelby Jacobson took over the mound and threw two perfect innings after her. She struck two batters out, and the fielders efficiently made the rest of the outs.
Moving forward, the Badgers ended the fourth inning leading 6-0 after a single from infielder Fiona Girardot that brought Alivia Bark home after her triple.
Pitcher Gabi Salo took over for the final three innings and made the bottom of the fifth incredibly quick, ensuring no Bobcat made it on base. On the offensive side, the Badgers ended the sixth inning up 12-0 thanks to Fiona Girardot’s home run that brought in Ava Kuszak and Kate Linkletter. Molly Schlosser, Rylie Crane and pinch runner Marytherese Nevin also scored, with RBIs from Schlosser and Blomberg.
The game just kept getting better for the Badgers. Linkletter and Giradot hit home runs, making this Giradot’s second home run of the game, and Bark scored her third run of the game in the final inning. The score was a lopsided 18-0 by the middle of the inning.
The game ended 18-1 after the Bobcats’ centerfielder scored a run late in the game. All in all, this was a dominant outing for the Badgers.
The Badgers will look to continue their strong start when they host the University of Minnesota Duluth on Oct. 8 at Goodman Diamond.
