(UW ATHLETICS) MADISON, Wis. – The Wisconsin softball team (25-15, 6-7) earned two memorable wins in a Tuesday double-header over St. Thomas, with a powerhouse 15-2 victory in game one, and a come-from-behind, 6-5 win in game two.
GAME ONE
The Badgers came out swinging and didn’t let up, matching a season-high 15 runs in a game one victory over St. Thomas.
The run-rule victory came off 14 Badger hits, six of them going for extra-bases. UW went 9-for-19 with runners in scoring position.
Wisconsin scored five runs in the bottom of the first, hitting for the cycle just seven batters into the game. A lead-off triple from Alivia Bark, a two-run double from Hilary Blomberg, and an RBI single from Kendra Lewis got things started, before the big inning was punctuated by a two-run home run from Emmy Wells.
Despite St. Thomas answering with two runs in the next frame, Wisconsin managed to grow their lead in the bottom of the second inning with another offensive onslaught. UW struck three extra base hits in the inning, including Bark’s second triple of the game. The final tally ended up at six runs for the inning.
The third inning was more of the same, with the Badgers managing to take advantage of some St. Thomas errors to push four runners across. After three innings, Wisconsin led 15-2.
The rest of the game was all Molly Jacobson, who relieved starter Kendra Lewis during the second inning. Jacobson pitched 3.2 innings, allowing no runs on three hits, and striking out three batters. She’s now 6-3 on the year.
Wisconsin backed up Jacobson with great defense, turning two double-plays without committing an error.
Batting Cleanup
- Alivia Bark went 3-for-3 with two triples and three runs scored. Bark is only the third Badger ever to collect two triples in a game, and the first since Mary Massei on May 4, 2011.
- The Badgers scored five or more runs in back-to-back innings for the first time since at least 2016.
- Molly Schlosser went 2-for-3, extending her hit-streak to a career-high 10 games.
- Six Badgers collected multiple RBI. Hilary Blomberg (2-for-4) and Emmy Wells (1-for-1) led the way with three RBI.
- Wisconsin’s 15 runs are tied for the most in a game this season, previously putting up that run total in a 15-4 win over Illinois.
GAME TWO
The second game of the day saw a dramatic Badgers comeback, overcoming a five-run deficit to win 6-5.
Wisconsin trailed through the first five innings of the game, at one point losing 5-0, before entering the bottom of the sixth down, 5-2.
After struggling offensively, the Badgers began to find baserunners, loading the bases with a walk and two infield singles. Senior Ellie Hubbard came up to the plate with two outs, and smoked a pitch out to center field, clearing the wall to give the Badgers their first lead of the game.
St. Thomas threatened to score in the top of the seventh inning, putting two runners in scoring position with one out. Molly Jacobson (7-3) worked out of the jam though, earning the 6-5 victory and a double-header sweep.
The Badgers faced an early deficit. Defensive miscues and infield hits got starter Gabi Salo into trouble, with the Tommies putting up three runs in the top of the second inning. She was ultimately brought out of the game after St. Thomas pushed two more runs across in top of the third, despite only two of the five runs being earned.
Prior to the comeback, Wisconsin’s only jolt of offense came off the bat of Molly Schlosser, who’s two-run home run in the bottom of the third inning cut the deficit to just three runs.
After coming into relief for Salo, Jacobson went the rest of the way, keeping the Tommies at bay. She pitched 4.1 innings allowing just one hit and no runs.
Batting Cleanup
- Ellie Hubbard hit her first home-run of the season, and her first career grand-slam. The Badger’s last grand slam came at a similar time. Earlier this season, Eden Dempsey hit a go-ahead grand slam in the sixth inning of a 6-3 victory over Kansas on February 7.
- Molly Schlosser went 1-for-3 with a two-run home run, extending her hit-streak to a career-high 11 games.
- Alivia Bark went 5-for-6 in both games of the double-header, with two triples.
- Molly Jacobson (7-3) earned both victories for the day, pitching a total of 8.0 shutout innings with four hits allowed and four strikeouts.
- The Badgers move to 5-0 at home.
Up Next:
The Badgers are back to conference play later in the week, with three-game series against Indiana starting on Friday at 4pm (CT). The games will stream on B1G+.
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