(UW ATHLETICS) WEST LAFAYETTE, IND – The Wisconsin softball team dropped the series finale against Purdue, falling 4-2 to wrap up the weekend.
The Boilermakers (26-12, 6-6 B1G) jumped out to a quick start once again, as they plated three runs in the first inning behind a two-run blast from Haley Painter.
Sophomore Kendra Lewis clutched up to get the Badgers (21-12, 7-5 B1G) on the board in the fifth, driving a base hit up the middle to score pinch runner Ava Parent and make it 3-1.
Purdue proceeded to answer with a run of its own in the bottom of the fifth after a lead-off double from standout Moriah Polar. Redshirt freshman Jaclyn Showalter hit a home run for the second consecutive day, barreling a pitch to deep left field to cut the deficit in half.
Right-hander Shelby Jacobson settled in to give the Badgers a chance late, but Boilermakers’ pitcher Julia Gossett stepped up and slammed the door to give Purdue its first win of the weekend. Despite the loss, Jacobson finished with seven strikeouts and zero walks.
Batting Cleanup:
- Wisconsin’s nine-game winning streak at Bittinger Stadium came to a close on Sunday afternoon.
- UW walked 16 times over the course of three games this weekend, their most in a conference series this year.
- Jaclyn Showalter hit her second home run in as many days, providing a solo blast in the sixth. The redshirt freshman finished 5-for-11 (.455 BA) on the weekend, turning in three extra base hits and five RBI from the middle of the order.
- Emily Bojan has now reached base in every game this season, extending her on-base streak to 33 games. That number ranks at No. 2 in program history for longest on-base streak, as Kelsey Jenkins (2018) leads the program with 40 straight games of reaching base. Bojan walked three times on Sunday, doing so in a game for the second time this season.
- Shelby Jacobson tossed 14 innings against the Boilermakers this weekend, turning in 14 strikeouts while only allowing two walks.
Saturday’s game
The Wisconsin softball team put together its largest comeback of the season, erasing a six-run deficit to take down Purdue 10-9, capped off by a grand slam from redshirt freshman Jaclyn Showalter in the seventh inning.
The Badgers (21-11, 7-4 B1G) trailed by six after two innings of play, plating 10 runs over the final five frames to storm back and defeat the Boilermakers (25-12, 5-6 B1G) at Bittinger Stadium. Showalter belted her sixth home run of the season and the biggest of her collegiate career to put Wisconsin on top, tallying a career-best four RBI on the afternoon.
After being shut down in yesterday’s battle, Purdue accumulated two runs right away in the first inning, highlighted by an RBI triple turned in by Anna Moore.
An inning later, Purdue’s Moriah Polar, one of the top hitters in the Big Ten, blasted a bases-clearing double to the opposite field to make it 6-0 after two innings of play.
Junior Hilary Blomberg hit her 12th home run of the season in the third inning, cutting into the 6-0 deficit with a two-run blast. The Verona, Wis. native is tied with Chloe Miller for the second-most home runs in a career with 31, as she tallied her sixth big fly of the conference slate.
The Boilermakers provided a quick response in the bottom half of the frame, plating one to get their lead back out to five runs. In the fourth, junior Alivia Bark notched her first homer of the season—leading off the inning with a solo shot to make it 7-3.
The Badgers continued to climb back into the game, as sophomore Kendra Lewis flipped an RBI single to the opposite field in the fifth. After a pair of walks to kick off the top of the sixth, Wisconsin tallied two more runs in the frame, as sophomore Hannah Conger concluded the inning with a bunt—taking advantage of a Boilermakers’ error to bring the Badgers within one.
Right-hander Berritt Herr ran into some trouble in the bottom half of the sixth, allowing two runs to score after Purdue loaded the bases.
The Badgers rallied in the top half of the seventh, as Lewis, Bark and junior Danielle Lucey all reached base to set the table for Showalter. The Hartland, Wis. native delivered in the clutch—providing UW with their first lead of the game.
Herr bounced back and closed the final inning to win the series, as Blomberg helped out behind the dish by throwing out a base runner. The next two Boilermakers would go down in order to complete the comeback win for Wisconsin.
Batting Cleanup:
- Wisconsin tied its second-largest comeback in program history on Saturday afternoon, erasing a 6-0 deficit against the Boilermakers. The Badgers last earned a 6-run comeback against Northwestern in 2011. UW did so once previously in 2004 against Michigan State. The program’s largest comeback of all-time came versus Minnesota in 2012, when they won after being down by eight runs.
- Wisconsin has now won nine consecutive games against Purdue at Bittinger Stadium, dating back to the 2017 season.
- The Badgers’ six-game winning streak in conference play is their longest since the 2022 season.
- UW has secured three straight series victories over Big Ten foes for the first time since the 2023 season.
- Jaclyn Showalter launched a game-winning grand slam in the seventh inning, her sixth home run of the year. The right-handed hitter set a career-best for most RBIs in a single game with four in a 1-for-3 showing. Showalter’s grand slam is the second for UW this season, as Hilary Blomberg was the last to do so against Iowa State on Feb. 15.
- Hilary Blomberg hit her 12th home run of the season and the 31st of her career, tying Chloe Miller (2014-17) for the second-most HRs in a career. The Verona, Wis. native now has six home runs in 11 conference games, tied with UCLA’s Megan Grant for second-most in Big Ten play. Blomberg has now matched her home run total from last season as well.
- Emily Bojan has now reached base in every game this season, extending her on-base streak to 32 games. The senior now holds the second-longest on-base streak in program history, as Kelsey Jenkins (2018) leads the way with 40 consecutive games.
- Berritt Herr tallied her ninth victory of the season in 4.1 innings of work. The Ashwaubenon, Wis. native’s nine wins are tied for the seventh-most produced by a freshman in program history with Letty Oliveraz (2007).
- Alivia Bark earned her 11th multi-hit game of the year in a 2-for-4 performance. The junior barreled her first home run of the season as well.
Up Next: The Badgers will return to Goodman Diamond to begin a nine-game homestand, beginning with a midweek battle against Loyola-Chicago on Wednesday, April 8. First pitch is slated for 5:00 p.m. CT in Madison,
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