The Wisconsin Badgers softball team took on the Penn State Nittany Lions at the Goodman Softball Complex on April 19-21. Wisconsin scored a total of 20 runs over the three-day stretch compared to Penn State’s 16 runs but still went 1-2 for the series.
Coming up short
Wisconsin started off on the wrong foot during Friday’s series opener, losing 3-1 with 11 Badger strikeouts and only two hits.
After Wisconsin’s fielding eliminated the first three batters in the top of the first — one being a strikeout by starter Tessa Magnanimo, who pitched all seven innings — the second inning saw Penn State’s batter crank a leadoff solo homer for a 1-0 lead after the bottom of the second. By the third inning, Penn State led 3-0, resulting from two RBIs when Badgers dove for the balls in play but fell short.
Magnanimo locked in and allowed no more runs, and the Badgers improved in the sixth during both frames. They escaped a jam during the top of the inning when second baseman Ellie Hubbard chucked the ball to catcher Emmy Wells, nabbing the runner out at home. They entered the bottom frame and broke the hitless streak when shortstop Ava Kuszak tanked the ball just short of the centerfield wall, sliding into second.
They closed at Goodman as a 3-1 ballgame after right fielder Brooke Kuffel attacked a pitch for a solo homer, making this her eighth homerun of the season.
Runaway victory comeback
While Penn State scored three runs again Saturday, Wisconsin shot out to score a whopping total of 17 in just 4.5 innings.
After a dry first inning, Wisconsin secured an early look toward victory during the bottom of the second after relief pitcher Hilary Blomberg and Kuszak both drove in two with doubles for a dominating 4-0 start.
Magnanimo started again, giving up an RBI walk and solo homer that cut Penn State’s deficit to 4-2, but the Badgers retaliated in the bottom of the third. After Kuffel and center fielder Peyton Bannon claimed bases, third baseman Skylar Sirdashney crushed a three-run drill out of the park to give the Badgers a 7-2 lead.
As if they hadn't put on enough of a power show, the Badgers swept the Nittany Lions in a ten-run inning. The inning began with Kuszak’s seventh home run of the season after sending the ball into deep left. The next ten batters reached the bases, with the first Badgers grand slam since 2017 from Sirdashney and a three-run blast from Blomberg before the run rule shut the inning down.
Relief pitcher Gabi Salo took the mound in the fifth, giving up a solo homer to end the game after the top of the fifth, 17-3.
Losing the series
Unable to secure the series win, Wisconsin lost 10-2 in the rubber match Sunday. Magnanimo started on the mound again, giving up a two-run dinger in the first. The Badgers trailed after the first but moved toward a comeback, making it 2-1 in the bottom frame as Wells escaped a full count by launching the pitch into center for an RBI double that drove Kuszak home.
The third inning was scoreless but had its share of notable plays. On defense, left fielder Alivia Bark’s catch removed the first batter, followed by a double play to end the short frame. Bark singled and Bannon got out trying to steal home in the next frame.
The Nittany Lions snagged another run during the fourth and broke through with a six-run rally in the sixth. Bannon robbed a run with a leaping throw to Wells but couldn’t avoid a grand slam. The Badgers retaliated with a run of their own when Blomberg homered on a sharp fly ball before taking the relief role on the mound in the final inning, giving up one more run.
The Badgers will play the Indiana Hoosiers in Bloomington on April 26-28 for their penultimate series before closing the season at home against the Maryland Terrapins on May 3-5.
