The Wisconsin softball team (1-5 Big Ten, 12-26 overall) dropped a pair of games to the Northern Iowa Panthers (8-5 Missouri Valley, 26-13 overall) at the Goodman Softball Complex Wednesday.
The Badgers failed to plate a run in either game, as the Panthers shut Wisconsin out 9-0 in a five-inning game one and 8-0 in game two.
In game one, Badger senior Leah Vanevenhoven faced off against Panther junior Jen Larsen, the ace of the Northern Iowa pitching staff.
The Panthers began scoring in the top of the second inning, capitalizing on errors in the field and rough pitching from the Badgers. Northern Iowa senior Brittney Balduf hit an opposite field solo home run off Vanevenhoven to give the Panthers a 1-0 lead.
The Panthers nearly batted around in the third inning, with seven of their nine hitters making it to the plate. After a couple of singles by Larsen and freshman Mackenzie Daigh, junior Rachel Gerking singled to center, scoring both runners and pushing the lead to 3-0.
A fourth inning run by the Panthers forced Wisconsin head coach Chandelle Schulte to replace Vanevenhoven in the circle with sophomore Kristyn Hansen. But Hansen struggled herself, giving up three runs in the fourth and two more in the fifth.
The Badgers also could not get their offense going in game one, recording only four hits against Larsen.
""We just want to set the tone from the first inning, and we've been doing that,"" Larsen said. She admitted that the run support from her teammates in game one helped her relax.
""Whenever we get big leads, it's so much easier as a pitcher,"" she said.
Wisconsin junior pitcher Letty Olivarez managed to pitch a complete game in the second half of the doubleheader, facing off with Panther freshman Melissa Tillett. But Tillett stifled the Badger offense, recording three outs on three Wisconsin batters in five of the seven innings of the game, holding the Badgers to zero runs on only one hit.
The game was scoreless through four innings, but Northern Iowa plated multiple runs in the fifth, sixth and seventh. Daigh and senior Kelly Papesh each homered off Olivarez.
Olivarez said it was frustrating to give up multiple runs on a few bad pitches.
""It is just always at the wrong time,"" she said. ""I feel like we can never just get cut a break.""
Badger senior Theresa Boruta said the Badgers had the components to make a run in game two, but could not put them together.
""You have to bring all aspects of the game: defense, offense and pitching,"" she said.
Boruta attributed the team's struggles at the plate to over-thinking and getting away from the basics of hitting.
""When you have so many thoughts in your head, it is not going to go well,"" she said. ""The mental game is a huge aspect of any sport, and if you let that get the best of you, you'll produce what we did.""
The Badgers must now prepare for an in-conference road series against Penn State April 11-12, where Wisconsin will look to improve its 1-5 Big Ten record
