Sophomore Ricci Robben hit an RBI double in the bottom of the seventh inning Tuesday night to provide the Wisconsin softball team (5-5 Big Ten, 24-13 overall) with a 4-3 win over the University of Illinois-Chicago at the Goodman Softball Complex.
Robben, who went 3-for-4 on the contest, also had two RBIs. Senior centerfielder Sam Polito extended her hitting streak to 12 games, going 2-for-4 with one RBI and one scored run. Polito is just two games away from tying the program record of 14 consecutive games with at least one hit.
""We moved [Polito] to the two-spot and she has done such a great job there. She is very comfortable in that situation,"" said second year Wisconsin head coach Chandelle Schulte. ""She's so competitive and just wants to win and I feel very comfortable with her on that field right now.""
In the second inning, UIC scored when junior Brittany Dixon hit an RBI single to left field as sophomore Melissa Marinacci crossed home. The Badgers answered back in the bottom of the inning as Lynn Anderson laid down a beautiful sacrifice bunt to score sophomore Theresa Boruta, who was advanced to third by freshman Letty Olivarez during the previous at-bat.
The Flames took the lead again in the following inning, but Wisconsin pulled ahead in the fourth inning 3-2. With only one out against the Badgers and the bases clear, junior catcher Joey Daniels smashed a double off the wall between right and center field. Polito then connected with a base-hit grounder through the infield to score Daniels. Later in the inning, Robben hit an RBI single to left field to bring in Polito.
UIC sophomore pitcher Sarah Clynes served as an offensive threat early in the fifth inning by hitting a lead-off double to left field. With two outs against them and a Clynes on second base, the Flames received a spark from freshman Brooke Frydendall as she hit a ball up the third base line, scoring Clynes to tie the score at three apiece.
With the score still tied at 3-3 in the bottom of the seventh, senior third baseman Athena Vasquez stepped up to the plate and crushed a double over UIC left fielder Brittany Dixon's head. With no outs and a runner on second base, Robben confidently stepped up to the plate and knocked a double to left field, allowing Vasquez to score the winning run.
""I was feeling pretty good at the plate [in the seventh inning] after I talked to my coach,"" Robben said. ""Any team is beatable on any given day. We just came out and played our game.""
Offensively, Wisconsin finished with 10 hits but left 10 runners on base over the course of the game. UIC left five runners on base and finished with six hits. Both teams played solid defense as UIC recorded the only error on the night.
Olivarez started the game and had a solid pitching performance as the Flames were only able to get six hits off of her. She finished with one strikeout.
Senior Eden Brock came in at the top of the sixth and pitched great, striking out all three batters that came up to the plate in that inning and earning another strikeout in the seventh. UIC went three up, three down in the top of the final two innings, and Brock improved to 13-7 on the season.
Coach Schulte was pleased with Brock's performance to wrap up the game. The pitching substitution late in the contest effectively threw off the UIC batters as they were not able to get used to Brock's pitching style.
UIC fell to 13-24 and Clynes, who pitched the entire game for the Flames, dropped to 10-12 on the season.
""Every win is crucial right now, especially for regional standings. It feels good to come out and get one,"" Polito said.
The Badgers will spend the next two days preparing for Big Ten conference play to reconvene as they host No. 7 Northwestern (8-3 Big Ten, 33-10 overall) on Friday night and again on Saturday afternoon at the Goodman Diamond.
