(UW ATHLETICS) MADISON – The Wisconsin softball team blitzed Maryland in the series finale on Sunday afternoon, as junior Hilary Blomberg blasted a pair of home runs to seal a 12-3 victory in five innings.
Blomberg reached the 30-home run mark in her illustrious career, launching a three-run blast in the fifth inning to walk it off and complete the series sweep of the Terrapins (13-19, 1-11 B1G). The Verona native tallied her first big fly of the game in the second inning with a solo shot to left field.
The Badgers (19-11, 5-4 B1G) jumped out to a quick start once again, plating six runs and batting through the lineup in the first frame. Junior Alivia Bark delivered with the bases loaded, driving in all three runners with a triple to right field to get the scoring started.
After an RBI bunt turned in by junior Danielle Lucey, junior Makenzie Foster continued her strong weekend with a double to the opposite field. Sophomore Hannah Conger capped off the inning with an RBI single—extending UW’s advantage to 6-0 heading into the second inning.
Maryland silenced the Wisconsin lineup for the next two frames after Blomberg’s first home run, answering back with a three-run home run in the top half of the fifth.
The Badgers put together a quick response, as freshman Addison Wery barreled a two-run blast, the first deep shot of her collegiate career to make it 9-3. After a pair of batters reached base, Blomberg delivered once again, tallying the 30th home run of her career to win the game in run-rule fashion. The catcher is now one of five Badgers to produce 30 or more home runs in their career.
Batting Cleanup:
- UW earned its first sweep of a Big Ten opponent since they defeated Iowa three-straight times in last season’s opening weekend at Goodman Diamond.
- The Badgers plated six runs in the first inning. UW has now scored six runs in the first on six separate occasions in program history, as they recently tied a program record for most runs in the first when they had 10 versus Iowa State on Feb. 15.
- Wisconsin racked up 10 or more hits as a team for the 16th time this season.
- Hilary Blomberg hit her 10th and 11th home run of the season and the 29th and 30th of her career. The Verona native is now tied for the third-most home runs in program history with Katie Hnatyk (2005-07) and Shannel Blackshear (2010-13). Blomberg is just the fifth Badger to hit 30 or more home runs in a career. The right-handed hitter finished with four RBI on the day as well, doing so for the seventh time in her career, good for the second-most in program history.
- Emily Bojan has reached base in every game this season, extending her on-base streak to 30 games. The senior joins Kelsey Jenkins as the only Badger to eclipse the 30-game mark in program history, as Jenkins did it twice in her career.
- Alivia Bark provided a bases-clearing triple in the first inning, marking her 12th multi-RBI game of the year. The junior is tied for the seventh-most in a single season with Brooke Wyderski (2017, 2018) and Sara Novak (2016) after her 3-RBI performance this afternoon. Bark’s triple advances her to 10th all-time for most in a career, tied with four other Badgers.
- Addison Wery launched the first home run of her collegiate career.
- Makenzie Foster earned a 2-for-3 performance at the plate today, enjoying a quality weekend. The junior tallied two doubles, a career-best in a single game.
- Rylie Crane notched her first hit of the season.
Up Next: The Badgers will continue conference play on Thursday, Apr. 2, when they begin a three-game series against Purdue in West Lafayette, Indiana.
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