The Wisconsin Badgers softball team won two out of three against Indiana at the Goodman Diamond in Madison last weekend. The series puts the Badgers at 26-16 for a .619 win percentage and 8-8 in Big Ten conference play.
Holding steady
The Badgers started strong after senior Hilary Blomberg’s double in the first inning sent Molly Schlosser and Alivia Bark home. Hannah Conger’s stolen base gave Emma King the opportunity to run home.
The Hoosiers scored in the second, but Schlosser brought the lead back up to three after Kendra Lewis’ single in the bottom. The game slowed until Indiana picked it back up at the top of the sixth.
Shelby Jacobson relieved starting graduate student pitcher Molly Jacobson to pitch the final 1.1 innings of the game.
Blomberg’s homer put herself and Schlosser back on the board, extending the lead to 6-3. Wisconsin closed out the game 6-5 after holding Indiana to their two RBI home runs in the seventh inning.
Badgers get a beating
The Badgers lost 14-1 in game two on Saturday, with the game ending in the fifth inning due to the mercy rule. Indiana scored eight runs throughout the first and second innings, putting Wisconsin in a tough position early in the game.
Emily Bojan hit a home run in the bottom of the second and became the only Badger to score all game. The Hoosiers scored five runs top of the fifth, shutting the Badgers down early Saturday afternoon.
Three pitchers saw time at the mound, with Jordan Felci relieving Gabi Solo in the second and Mattie Beliveau relieving Felci in the fifth. Salo got credit for the loss with her 1.2 innings pitched as the starter.
Taking the win
Wisconsin battled for their 10-5 win on Sunday with Lewis’ RBI single in the bottom of the first and Brooke Kuffel’s sacrifice fly to take the lead going into the second inning.
Dani Lucey’s two-run home run put the Badgers up 4-2 in the second after the Hoosiers got one back on the top of the second. Then, in the third, Emmy Wells’ grand slam upped the lead to 8-2.
Molly Jacobson started as pitcher and was credited with the win, but was pulled in the fourth after Indiana’s three runs. Salo stepped up to pitch and Wisconsin came back with two more runs in the bottom of the fourth, where the 10-5 score stuck throughout the end of the game.
Next up, Wisconsin plays North Dakota State University in a Wednesday afternoon doubleheader at Goodman.
