After splitting a doubleheader with North Dakota State earlier this week, the Wisconsin softball team (2-4 Big Ten, 20-12 overall) is gearing up for four conference games early next week at the Goodman Softball Complex in Madison.
Wisconsin will be facing Purdue in a doubleheader starting at noon on Sunday. The Badgers' two games against Indiana, originally scheduled for Friday and Saturday, have been moved to Monday. The Big Ten foes will begin their doubleheader at 11 a.m.
Senior standout Sam Polito, Wisconsin centerfielder and last week's Big Ten Player of the Week, has been leading the Badgers offensively the past few weeks. Polito scored two of the Badgers' seven runs against North Dakota State on Tuesday and also registered two hits in the doubleheader. Prior to Tuesday, Polito found her way to get on base nine of her last 10 at bats and has a batting average of .344.
Classmate Athena Vasquez also had a solid performance earlier this week as she went 3-6 in the doubleheader, scored two runs and had an RBI. Junior outfielder Katie Hnatyk is currently leading Wisconsin with a .355 batting average and an impressive 10 homeruns on the season.
Eden Brock has been working hard on the mound all season for the Badgers. She has an impressively small 2.03 ERA and has a pitching record of 10-6 on the season.
Indiana (1-5 Big Ten, 19-19 overall) recently triumphed over its instate foe Indiana State by coming back from a 3-2 deficit in the bottom of the sixth inning. The Hoosiers ended up winning 6-3 after sophomore Emily Bergeson thrived under pressure by crushing a three-run double and then scoring a run herself later in the inning.
Junior Jennilee Huddleston is a definite offensive threat for the Hoosiers as she leads her team with a .350 batting average and has a .640 slugging percentage.
Sophomore Monica Wright is one of Indiana's strongest pitchers and has a team-high 100 strikeouts. Teammate Jennifer Moore also has been pitching well this season, but she has a 4.88 ERA, which is relatively high for a starting pitcher.
Purdue (1-4 Big Ten, 21-25-1 overall) is just one game behind Wisconsin in conference play going into the weekend. The Boilermakers won two games against Miami (OH) on Tuesday, pulling ahead in the first game by a score of 4-2 and then run-ruling the Redhawks 13-0 in game two. A rally of 10 runs during the second game came in the fifth inning alone.
Sophomore Katie Mitchell is having a great year at the plate with a batting average of .378, ninth in the Big Ten. Mitchell also has 35 RBI's and nine homeruns on the season. Junior third baseman Ashley Hall and freshman infielder Kelsey Haupert are also hitting well with batting averages of .345 and .319, respectably.
Senior Brooke Baker and sophomore Ashley DiDomenico are the two primary starting pitchers for the Boilermakers. Baker has an impressive pitching record of 15-13 with a 2.58 ERA and DiDomenico is 4-11 with a 2.89 ERA.
In order to come out on top against both conference rivals, Wisconsin will have to find a way to stomp on the momentum these teams will be carrying into Madison after their victories earlier this week. With great pitching and a solid defense to back it up, the Badgers will need to move their focus to offense. Confidence at the plate and smart base running will be essential ingredients to squeeze out consecutive victories for Wisconsin as it only has one loss at home so far this season.
