An offensive explosion marked the UW softball team's (4-8 Big Ten, 20-19 overall) game Wednesday, as they lit up the University of Illinois-Chicago in an 11-0 romp that only lasted five innings. Freshman second baseman Teresa Boruta had two hits and a run while sophomore right fielder Katie Hnatyk hit two towering home runs and knocked in five runs.
I thought [Teresa] did well and Hnatyk, the second one she hit was just a monster,\ UW head coach Chandelle Schulte said. ""I knew [an offensive game like this] was going to happen, I just didn't know when.""
""I just was seeing the ball really well today like the rest of the team,"" Boruta said.
The offense was not the only facet of the Badger game functioning at a high level Wednesday. Junior pitcher Eden Brock threw a complete game shutout and befuddled the Flames all day with two strikeouts, no walks and only four hits allowed. She now has three shutouts on the season and a 16-10 record.
""The last two weeks Eden Brock has carried this team,"" Schulte said. ""She's kept us in ballgames and will really be the determining factor this coming weekend too.""
Right from the start, the Wisconsin offense showed it could win in a myriad of ways. Leadoff hitter junior Sam Polito started the game with a single. Boruta bunted her over to second before Hnatyk blasted her first homer of the day. The Badgers scored two more runs in the inning because of patience at the plate. There were four walks in the inning, including an RBI base-on-balls by redshirt freshman first baseman Alexis Garcia, who was 1-1 on the day with three walks and two RBIs.
""Alexis Garcia is really hitting well, I think in the Big Ten she's lighting it up,"" Schulte said.
Boruta started off the second inning with a double and scored two batters later when Garcia doubled to bring her home. Lone senior Kaitlin Reiss then got into the action with an RBI single as sophomore catcher Joey Daniels scored to end the scoring for the inning.
""We've been working a lot with seeing the inside and outside pitches and we knew the second pitcher predominantly threw screwball,"" Boruta said. ""So I backed off the plate and the first pitch was in there so I thought I'd take advantage of it.""
The third inning included consecutive bunts by Boruta and Hnatyk to load the bases before Garcia walked in another run. After a one-two-three top of the fourth by Brock, the Badgers once again would score a bunch of runs.
Reiss led the inning off with a double before pinch hitter Stephanie Doyle got her first hit and RBI of the season with a single. Pinch hitter Liz Klemp would also get on base before Hnatyk hit her monster second home run of the day to finish the offensive slaughter.
""[Hnatyk's] a great hitter to watch, she's got a great swing,"" Boruta said.
Wisconsin is in action again this weekend for their last games of the season against Penn State and Purdue at home.\
