Sports Covered: Softball, Tennis, Openweight Rowing, Lightweight Rowing, Track & Field, Hockey, Volleyball
Softball
The Wisconsin softball team went a perfect 6-0 this week. In addition to beating UIC on Tuesday and sweeping Loyola Chicago on Wednesday, the Badgers got their first Big Ten series sweep of the season over arch-rival Minnesota on Friday and Saturday.
Wisconsin (20-13, 6-3 Big Ten) shutout the Golden Gophers (21-13, 3-6) to start the series on a high note on Friday. After a scoreless first inning, the Badgers scored a run in each of the next three innings to eventually win, 3-0. Sophomores Stephanie Peace and Marissa Mersch and junior Kendall Grimm all scored for UW while sophomore Cassandra Darrah pitched her sixth shutout of the year.
The Badgers won the season series with Minnesota by taking the first game of Saturday’s doubleheader by a score of 5-1. Wisconsin took advantage of key Gopher errors to go up 1-0 in the third inning before scoring three more runs from junior Shannel Blackshear (RBI single) and Peace (2 RBI double) to extend its lead to four. Minnesota scored a run in the fifth inning to prevent another shutout but that was all the Badgers would allow in game 1. Darrah improved her record to 13-6 on the year with the win.
It was a different story in the nightcap, as Minnesota scored 10 runs in just its first four innings of action, including four in the opening half-inning alone. The score was 10-2 going into the bottom of the fourth when Peace, who went a perfect 4-for-4 in game 2, recorded a double to start the Badgers’ rallying efforts. They went on to score four runs in that half-inning as part of what is now the biggest comeback in school history. With the bases loaded, two outs and the score tied at 10 in the bottom of the seventh, Blackshear won the game for UW with another RBI single. Junior Meghan McIntosh got the win at the mound as a reliever.
Up next for Wisconsin is a doubleheader with Western Illinois at home on Tuesday before a 3-game conference series at Illinois. First pitch for Tuesday’s game is scheduled for 3 p.m.
Tennis
The Wisconsin women’s tennis team suffered a pair of close 4-3 losses over the weekend.
The Badgers (10-9, 1-6 Big Ten) received the doubles point over Ohio State (8-12, 3-4) on Friday but couldn’t hold on to seal the deal in singles play. Senior Alaina Trgovich and freshman Nova Patel were perfect in the dual, as they recorded the only singles wins for Wisconsin against the Buckeyes. Trgovich and sophomore Nicky Stracar started at No. 1 doubles for the first time this season and beat the top OSU duo in a match tiebreak at 8-7 (1). She also won over OSU’s Kelsey Haviland at No. 1 singles, 7-6 (5), 6-4. Patel teamed up with junior Hannah Berner to get the win at No. 2 doubles while also beating OSU’s Gabby Steele at No. 5 singles.
Patel and Berner got the only doubles win for Wisconsin against No. 47 Penn State (11-7, 3-4) on Sunday but also recorded wins in singles play. The freshman won for the third time in a row at No. 5 singles against PSU’s Marie Bedard (6-3, 6-2) while the junior won over PSU’s Fernanda Perrotta (7-5, 6-1). Freshman Sarah Loebel also recorded a point for the Badgers at No. 4 singles, winning over PSU’s Carmen Sandor (6-2, 6-2), but it wasn’t enough as Wisconsin recorded its fourth straight loss.
The Badgers will look to rebound at home this weekend against Purdue on Friday afternoon and Indiana on Sunday morning.
Openweight Rowing
The 12th-ranked women’s openweight rowing team opened its spring season with a double dual against No. 5 Ohio State and No. 20 Indiana on Saturday at Lemon Lake in Bloomington, Ind. The Badgers, who compete in the Big Ten Conference with six other teams, won 8 out of 12 races on the day, including all six against the Hoosiers.
Both Varsity Eight boats and both Varsity Four boats lost against the Buckeyes in the morning, but they all rallied to win over IU in the afternoon. The Novice Eight crews, meanwhile, went undefeated on the day, posting comfortable wins in each race.
The Badgers’ next race is at the Lake Natoma Invitational in Gold Hills, Calif. next weekend.
Lightweight Rowing
The second-ranked women’s lightweight rowing team opened its spring season with the same team it ended 2011 with in defending national champion Stanford. The Badgers won five of eight races against the Cardinal on Saturday, including three of four Varsity Four races. The third and fourth Varsity Eight boats, which also posted wins against Stanford, also comfortably beat Santa Clara’s Varsity Eight crews.
The Badgers travel to the Knecht Cup in Cherry Hill, N.J. next weekend.
Outdoor Track & Field
Members of the Wisconsin track & field team competed at the Stanford Invitational in Palo Alto, Calif. over the weekend.
The Badgers were led by freshman Kelsey Card, who broke a school record in the discus with her 173 feet, 7 inch throw, good for fifth overall. Wisconsin went 1-2 in the collegiate section of the hammer throw, as junior Taylor Smith won with a throw of 179-6 and sophomore Abby Lueck finished second (173-8).
Wisconsin travels to the Mt. SAC Relays in Walnut, Calif. starting next Tuesday (April 17).
Hockey
The 2012 IIHF Women’s World Championships are in full swing in Burlington, Vt., and a handful of current and former Badgers are playing.
On Saturday, Team USA beat Team Canada 9-2 in a preliminary-round game thanks in part to five goals in the first period. Current Badger Brianna Decker connected with former Badger Hilary Knight (2007-09, 2010-12) for Team USA’s second goal of the game. Knight also had an assist on a goal from captain Julie Chu in the first while scoring another goal in the third period.
Team USA shutout Team Russia on Sunday, 9-0. After opening up the scoring at 1:42 of the first period and scoring another goal 54 seconds into the third, Knight was named the U.S. Player of the Game. Decker scored a power-play goal at 15:46 of the final frame. Former Badger Jessie Vetter (2005-09) recorded just five saves in the shutout victory.
Team USA plays Finland on Tuesday night in its final preliminary-round game of the championships.
Volleyball
As announced on Wednesday, The Badgers have signed Claire Raddatz to the 2012 volleyball freshman class. Raddatz, a 5-11 defensive specialist from Mequon, was a two-time first-team all-conference honoree for Homestead High School. She joins 6-3 middle blocker Meghan Haggerty (Glen Ellyn, Ill.) as the newcomers on the Wisconsin volleyball team in the fall (for now).
Meanwhile, the current Badgers continue their spring schedule this weekend with the Great Lakes Center 2012 Collegiate Challenge in Aurora, Ill.
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