The Wisconsin softball team (5-7 Big Ten, 24-15 overall) came up short in both games against No. 8 Northwestern (10-3 Big Ten, 35-10 overall) this weekend, losing 2-1 Friday night and 6-2 Saturday afternoon at Goodman Diamond.
However, two Wisconsin seniors made it into the record books as pitcher Eden Brock became one of three pitchers from the program to reach 500 career strikeouts Friday, finishing with six on the game. Sunday, center fielder Samantha Polito extended her hitting streak to 14 games, tying former Badger Julie Borchard for the longest hitting streak in Badger history. Polito will have the opportunity to break Borchard's record Tuesday when Wisconsin travels to face UW-Green Bay in a doubleheader.
""It's great to keep a hitting streak and it's great to keep helping out the team, but when we're not coming up with wins, it's still not as sweet as it should be,"" Polito said.
In game one of the series, Wisconsin held the Wildcats to only three hits. Northwestern's defense was just as strong and only allowed three hits. Northwestern's senior All-American pitcher Eileen Canney (19-8) racked up at least one strikeout each inning to finish with 12 and retired the last 10 batters that stepped up to the plate.
""It was exciting [playing against Canney],"" said senior Athena Vasquez, one of three batters with a hit in the contest. ""We knew she was going to come with it and bring her best pitch, so it was just a matter of swinging at your pitch.""
The Wildcats scored their first run in the top of the third inning when sophomore Tammy Williams hit an RBI single to right field to bring in freshman Kelly Dyer.
Wisconsin answered with a run of their own in the bottom of the fourth when Vasquez scored off a throwing error in Northwestern's attempt to turn a double play.
In the top of the sixth, sophomore Jessica Rigas connected with an RBI single to left field, allowing senior Garland Cooper to score the winning run for the Wildcats.
""I thought we played OK tonight, but I thought we should have won. ... We had the opportunity to win that softball game and that's the difference between us right now and where we want to be,"" Wisconsin head coach Chandelle Schulte said after Friday night's game. ""We're not looking for ‘fine.' We're looking for a win and that's what has to happen tomorrow. Obviously, we can hang with [Northwestern]. But you gotta ask yourself, ‘Are you satisfied with coming close?' I'm not.""
Saturday's game was another tough loss for the Badgers and Brock, who dropped to 13-9. Freshman pitcher Lauren Delaney, two-time Big Ten Pitcher of the Week, got the win as she improved to 16-2.
Both teams were evenly matched throughout the contest, with the exception of Northwestern's fourth inning rally.
With two outs, a run already in and a runner on second base, junior Darcy Sengewald hit the ball to center field. Polito quickly scooped up the ball and made a perfect throw to junior catcher Joey Daniels as Dyer rounded third. Daniels tagged the runner before she reached home plate, but the umpire ruled the runner safe because Daniels was obstructing Dyer's running path.
After Northwestern received new life, UW put freshman pitcher Letty Olivarez into the game. The first pitch she threw resulted in a two-run home run to senior Katie Logan. Northwestern scored another run that same inning to give them five fourth-inning runs and a 6-0 lead.
In the top of the fifth, Vasquez hit an RBI single to center field to put Wisconsin on the scoreboard. Vasquez hit an RBI double in the seventh inning to score Polito, but that was not enough for the Badgers.
""That call at home in the fourth really changed the tempo of the game,"" Schulte said. ""You can't allow something like that to affect the game, but it did. Our girls continued to fight regardless of what was going on, and I am proud of them for that.""
