With the Big Ten season still a few weeks away, the Badgers (10-9 overall) took a road trip to Fullerton, Calif., for the Judi Garman Classic, named after the famed Cal State Fullerton coach.
In a tournament stacked with competition, the Badgers held their own, going 3-2.
In the first game Friday, the Badgers beat the No. 7 Arizona Wildcats (23-3) 7-5.
Wisconsin capitalized on Wildcat miscues in a four-run fifth inning, scoring on a wild pitch, a defensive error, a bases-loaded walk and then when freshman catcher Chloe Miller was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded.
Senior pitcher Cassandra Darrah pitched a complete game, allowing eight hits and five runs, earning her fifth win of the season.
Later that evening, Wisconsin hit the diamond again, this time falling 4-2 in a battle of UWs to No. 6 Washington (19-4).
The hard-hitting Huskies smashed two home runs in the game. That proved to be too much for the Badgers’ offense to match.
The next day, Wisconsin was beat in a five-inning mercy rule game by No. 10 Arizona State, 9-1. The Badgers took a 1-0 lead in the first inning off of a home run by senior outfielder Mary Massei, but the Sun Devils (26-3) responded by scoring six in the second.
With Arizona State up by eight runs after scoring three in the fifth, it notched its 13th mercy win in 26 games so far this season.
Saturday afternoon, the Badgers rebounded with a 5-0 win against Long Beach State (16-7), who went into the game undefeated in the tournament.
Darrah pitched another complete game, this time allowing only five hits, shutting out the 49ers. UW played some small ball in the second, scoring two on a pair of hits and a squeeze bunt, effectively putting the game away then and there.
The Badgers finished the tournament strong with a 4-1 win over the host team Cal State Fullerton. The Titans (15-10) scored in the first, but that is all the offense they could muster against Darrah, who again pitched a complete game for the win, her third on the weekend.
Sophomore utility player Taylor-Paige Stewart broke a 1-1 tie in the fourth with her first hit of the season by knocking in sophomore first baseman Ashley Van Zeeland.
Senior third baseman Michelle Mueller had three RBIs in the game, helping Wisconsin seal the victory.
Next weekend, the Badgers head to Louisville, Ky., for the Louisville Classic, looking to take on host Louisville, as well as Kent State and Iowa State.
UWBadgers.com contributed to this report.