The Wisconsin softball team (2-6-0) recorded its first victories of the season this weekend in the Bama Bash tournament at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa.
Wisconsin dropped its first two games of the tournament to the Pirates of East Carolina and the top-ranked Crimson Tide. However, the Badgers avenged their loss to ECU in a rematch, and then downed Notre Dame on the final day of the tournament.
The two-game winning streak is the Badgers' first since sweeping a pair of games from UW-Green Bay on April 23, 2008.
The Badgers began tournament play Friday against ECU. Wisconsin and ECU were tied 1-1 after five innings of play. But the Pirates took the lead for good in the sixth inning when junior Kaui Tom doubled, scoring a run, and ECU won 2-1.
Saturday brought two games for the Badgers, including a meeting with No. 1 Alabama. The Tide controlled the game from the first inning on, scoring multiple runs in each of the first three innings. Wisconsin junior pitcher Letty Olivarez could not contain Alabama's offense, allowing eight runs off of nine hits in 3.2 innings of work. Despite only one error in the field, the Tide never turned for the Badgers. Alabama prevailed, 8-0.
The Badgers had to quickly move on from the loss and prepare for their rematch with ECU. Wisconsin's offense finally came to life in the tournament Saturday night, scoring one run in the fourth inning and two in the seventh. The real triumph for Wisconsin was the stellar pitching from senior Leah Vanevenhoven.
The southpaw from Kaukauna, Wis., allowed just one run on four hits in six innings of work. Olivarez finished the seventh inning, giving the Badgers their first victory of the season, 3-1.
With a game remaining in tournament play, Wisconsin could not relish its win. Sunday morning the Badgers faced off with the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame. Olivarez and Vanevenhoven gave Wisconsin big-time performances both at the plate and in the circle. Notre Dame pitchers allowed only three Wisconsin hits, but Olivarez recorded all the RBI's that Wisconsin would need in a third inning two-run home run off of Irish sophomore Jody Valdivia.
Vanevenhoven provided another solid outing, allowing no runs on two hits in four innings of work. Olivarez once again relieved Vanevenhoven, giving up only one hit and no runs in the final three innings en route to a 2-0 victory.
Wisconsin pitching managed to shut down a potent offense from a Notre Dame team that had received some top-25 votes the previous week. Irish sophomores Sadie Pitzenberger and Katie Fleury, two of Notre Dame's offensive leaders from the previous season, went a combined 0-6 at the plate. The Irish produced only three hits as well, two of which came from senior Linda Kohan.
Both Olivarez and Vanevenhoven received All-Tournament Team honors.
Wisconsin looks to continue its winning ways against the likes of Texas Tech, New Mexico and Drake in the Lobo Invitational in Albuquerque, N.M. next weekend, Feb. 20-22.
- uwbadgers.com contributed to this report.
