The Wisconsin softball team (1-3 Big Ten, 11-21 overall) split a pair of games Saturday against the Indiana Hoosiers (1-3, 5-23) in Bloomington, Ind. The Badgers won game one 5-4 but lost game two 3-2, their ninth one-run loss of the season.
Both the Badgers and the Hoosiers entered Saturday's play looking to get their first conference victories, and both were shut out by their Big Ten opponents last weekend with the Badgers losing a pair to Purdue and the Hoosiers dropping two games to Minnesota.
Badger junior pitcher Letty Olivarez got the ball in game one, facing off with Indiana senior Ashley Hobbs. Wisconsin and Indiana got their offenses going right away in the top of the first. The Badgers played small ball, plating three runs off singles from freshman Karla Powell, sophomores Jennifer Krueger and Livi Abney, and senior Leah Vanevenhoven, as well as a sacrifice bunt from senior Theresa Boruta.
Indiana responded in their half of the inning when Hoosier senior Emily Bergeson hit a two-run home run off Olivarez. Wisconsin scored runs in the second and third innings—runs which would prove important later on and took a 5-2 lead.
The Hoosiers stormed back in the bottom of the sixth inning, scoring two runs and cutting the Badgers' lead to one. But Olivarez managed to shut down Indiana's offense in the seventh and clinch the victory.
Olivarez hurled a complete game, giving up four runs on six hits to the Hoosiers. Despite her struggles in the first and sixth innings, the Wisconsin lineup gave her enough run support to win.
In game two, Vanevenhoven faced off in the circle with Indiana sophomore Sara Olson. However, Vanevenhoven was quickly replaced by Olivarez in the first inning after giving up two runs on two hits after facing only five batters.
Wisconsin fought back in the third and fourth innings to tie the game at two. In the third, Krueger tripled and was brought home by a Boruta single. Then, in the fourth, Olivarez tied the game with a solo home run.
But Indiana's Bergeson had the Badgers' number in game two, hitting another home run in the bottom of the fifth and giving Indiana the lead for good. Despite a rally in the seventh, Wisconsin could not come back, and the Hoosiers won 3-2. Olivarez fell to 8-15 on the season, giving up five runs on 14 hits in the two games.
Krueger and Boruta provided the highlights for the Badgers' offense against Indiana. Krueger returned to the lineup after having to leave a game against North Dakota last Wednesday when she was hit in the head by a pitch. In the two games, Krueger went 5-of-7 at the plate, crossing home plate four times. Meanwhile, Boruta went 3-of-7 hitting.
Wisconsin now posts a record of 5-9 in one-run games this season. In those nine losses, only four of the Badgers' opponents have winning records.
The Badgers now prepare to face off with a cross-state rival, the UW-Green Bay Phoenix, in a doubleheader this Wednesday, April 4, at the Goodman Softball Complex. Game one starts at 4 p.m., with game two slated to begin at 6 p.m.
—uwbadgers.com contributed to this report.
