Finishing off back-to-back days of doubleheaders, the Badger softball team (2-4 Big Ten, 16-15 overall) earned its second-straight split Monday, beating North Dakota State 3-2 in the first game before falling 5-1 in the second.
With the offense sputtering in both games, Wisconsin took advantage of a Bison error in the seventh inning to win the first game. After NDSU was able to tie the game in the sixth, sophomore Katie Hnatyk found herself up to bat with two outs in the seventh inning and junior Samantha Polito on second base. After fighting through the at bat, Hnatyk hit a high pop-up to NDSU senior pitcher Amber Garrett who dropped it, allowing Polito to score the winning run.
It was kind of a poor at bat,\ Hnatyk said after the game. ""I got lucky and can thank them for not making the play.""
Garrett was tagged with the loss despite pitching the entire game and giving up only one earned run. Eden Brock pitched the complete game for the Badgers, earning her 12th victory of the season.
The Badgers struggled again in the second game, but were not as lucky, as NDSU tightened up their defense and did not commit any errors. Just as they did in the first game, the Bisons scored a run in the first, but Wisconsin freshman pitcher Leah Vanevenhoven settled down to keep the deficit at one.
In the fourth inning, NDSU appeared to add a second run, but pitcher Allison Bakke was called out at home on a controversial play that resulted in Bison head coach Darren Mueller being ejected from the game for arguing.
The Badgers took advantage of the situation in the bottom half of the inning, tying the game up with a solo home run by Hnatyk, her sixth of the season.
Wisconsin would only put up four hits in the game, however, and eventually fell behind when Vandenhoven gave up a run in the sixth before departing. The Bison then added three more in the seventh inning, putting the game out of reach.
""It's the same story all week,"" head coach Chandelle Schulte said. ""We haven't been hitting behind our runners, we haven't been moving the runners and we haven't scored in the opportunities we should score in. We are making fundamental mistakes and not being aggressive.""
The Badgers left 13 runners on base between the two games, while the pitchers seemed to do their job. After Brock only gave up one earned run in the first contest, Vanevenhoven only gave up two, but was still left with her sixth loss of the season.
""We're just not finishing what we are starting,"" Hnatyk said. ""We're just hoping someone else will get the job done.""
Wisconsin will have three days off before hosting Michigan State Friday night at 6 p.m.
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