Friday evening, the Wisconsin softball team (3-1 Big Ten, 18-14 overall) won an exciting game against No. 24 Ohio State (3-1, 18-8) by a score of 6-5.
The first four innings were scoreless, but the floodgates opened during the top of the fifth when Maddy McIntyre of Ohio State batted a home run with the bases loaded, making the score 4-0 in favor of the Buckeyes.
In the bottom of the fifth, Macy Oswald walked to first, and the next batter up, Kelsey Jenkins, also walked, advancing Oswald to second. Jenkins and Oswald advanced to second and third, respectively, on a passed ball. Then Ashley Van Zeeland also walked, leaving the bases loaded for Chloe Miller. She ended up walking as well, scoring Oswald and making the score 4-1 with Ohio State leading.
The Badgers then switched pitchers from Kirsten Stevens to Taylor-Paige Stewart during the top of the sixth, and that paid off as Stewart allowed just one run the rest of the way.
In the bottom of the sixth, Katie Christner singled through the left side for Wisconsin, and then Kelly Welsh reached first on a fielder’s choice, with Christner advancing to second. Melanie Cross walked and advanced Welsh to second, and then Oswald grounded out to first, advancing both Cross and Welsh. Jenkins followed with a walk and Van Zeeland then singled, allowing for Welsh to score, making the score 4-2.
Immediately after Welsh scored, Miller walked, advancing Van Zeeland to second and Jenkins to third, allowing Cross to score and making the score 4-3 in favor of Ohio State.
Ohio State's Becca Gavin had an RBI single in the seventh that put the Buckeyes up 5-3.
On the last hit of the game, Cross blasted a huge walk-off home run that allowed Christner, Brooke Mann and Taylor Berry to all score, winning the game for the Badgers in classic come-from-behind fashion.
Head coach Yvette Healy had glowing praise for her freshman center fielder.
“Mel Cross has been pretty clutch all this year,” Healy said. “I don’t think there could’ve been a better player up at that point; she was a great person to have up in that situation.”
Cross was happy with the outcome, but didn’t feel immense pressure in a must-win situation.
“I’ve been in those pressured situations before, and having teammates that boost you up right before, it’s really great,” Cross said. “Everyone went insane [after the run]. It’s really nice having teammates that cheer you on no matter the outcome of the game, so it’s especially nice coming off a win like that, they were so excited."
“I think the whole team was believing the whole game,” Healy said of the win. “We knew going in that we were the underdogs. We just told them to play loose and have fun, you never know what could happen, and it’s fun to see this team starting to believe. I think every time we’ve had a team make a run at Wisconsin, for the softball team, it’s been because you have a bunch of kids that believe and don’t give up and just keep fighting.”
The Badgers and Buckeyes continue play Sunday at 10:30 a.m. at Goodman Diamond.
