Last weekend the UW softball team (10-5) traveled to Atlanta for the Georgia Tech Buzz Classic and made its presence known with a strong 4-1 record. The Badgers finished in a tie for third place in a field of 25 teams.
The tournament began Friday as the Badgers took on Morehead State and Florida A&M. The Badgers beat Moorehead State 3-1 behind senior pitcher Eden Brock's 14-strikeout, complete game gem.
The Badgers showed impressive poise in their second game of the day, an 8-4 victory over Florida A&M. The Badgers trailed 4-2 in the bottom of third inning but then fought back with six unanswered runs to earn another victory for Brock in her 4 1/3 innings of relief.
Brock reached major milestones over the weekend, as she became just the fourth Badger pitcher to exceed 400 career strikeouts and took sole possession of second place on UW's all-time wins list with 55. She was named to the all-tournament team with her 3-1 record, 1.38 earned run average and 39 strikeouts in 25 1/3 innings.
On Saturday, the Badgers continued where they left off against East Tennessee State with an offensive explosion in a 14-5, six-inning victory. The Badgers tied school records for runs scored in an inning with an eight-run fourth. Junior outfielder Katie Hnatyk finished the day 4-for-5 with two home runs, four runs batted in and three runs scored.
Hnatyk had another fantastic series and has established herself as UW's most dangerous hitter. She finished the tournament with a .400 average, three home runs and six runs batted in. She now has a .460 average to go along with eight home runs and 21 RBIs on the season. Hnatyk is also among the Big Ten's leaders in several offensive categories, including batting average, RBIs, homeruns and slugging percentage.
Wisconsin's next matchup against Georgia State proved to be a much more difficult test as the Badgers squeezed out a 5-4, eight-inning victory. The Badgers trailed 3-1 going into the top of the seventh but came back with a bases-loaded single to tie the score at 3-3. The Badgers scored two in the top of the eighth but surrendered a run in the bottom half before freshman pitcher Letty Olivarez came in to notch her first career save. The Badgers were only one of three teams to finish pool play with a 4-0 record and outscored their opponents 30-14.
On Sunday, Wisconsin advanced to the championship bracket with a contest against Winthrop. Both teams went scoreless until the bottom of the sixth inning, when Winthrop tacked on a 2-0 lead. Sophomore first baseman Alexis Garcia continued her outstanding tournament performance with a solo home run in the top of the seventh to cut the deficit to a run, but the Badgers would not score again in an excellent outing by Winthrop pitcher Megan Evans.
The Badgers have a week-long break before two matchups against Maine and Stetson in DeLand, Fla. on March 15.
