SPORTS
Gallagher’s squad earns 3 wins at Tulsa Invitational
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Also by Staff:
- Semester in Review: Badgers go into the break (December 14, 2006)
- Anderson and Team USA win opener (July 16, 2005)
- In memory of Ryan W. Knickmeyer (October 31, 2005)
- Gallagher's squad earns 3 wins at Tulsa Invitational (March 7, 2005)
Related Stories:
- Softball team set for Tulsa tourney (March 4, 2005)
- Zacher, Vasquez back in UW lineup (March 9, 2005)
- NCAA changes mind, postpones Saturday games (September 14, 2001)
- Compiled from staff reports (April 30, 2002)
- UW senior hurler Katie Layne rellishing role in youthful rotation (April 26, 2005)
Monday, March 7, 2005
The UW softball team won three of five games over the weekend at the Tulsa Invitational in Tulsa, Okla. The Badgers notched wins over Louisiana-Monroe, Wichita State and Tulsa but fell to Oklahoma State and North Texas.
Wisconsin opened the invite with a pair of wins Friday. Katie Layne shut out Louisiana-Monroe 2-0 in the morning game and Eden Brock recorded her fourth consecutive win in a 3-1 triumph over Wichita State in afternoon action.
In the early game, the only runs of the contest came in the bottom of the fourth inning, when the Reiss sisters delivered a pair of RBI singles. Meghann Reiss drove in Boo Gillette with an RBI single to center, and Kaitlin Reiss brought her sister in with a two-out single to left. That was all Layne needed in the shutout.
Wisconsin displayed a power stroke in game two, as Gillette and Kris Zacher both went yard to lift the Badgers past Wichita State. Zacher, who returned to the field earlier in the day against Louisiana-Monroe after missing the first six games with an ankle injury, took Wichita State’s Margo Pruis deep on the first pitch of the game to put the Badgers up 1-0 early.
The Shockers tied things up in the bottom of the fourth on an RBI single from Stephanie De La Riva, but Gillette broke the deadlock with a two-run shot in the top of the sixth to give Wisconsin a 3-1 victory.
The streaking Badgers were dealt their first loss of the weekend Saturday, as the Cowgirls of Oklahoma State handed Wisconsin’s Megan Smith her third loss of the season.
The Cowgirls scored a pair of runs in the top of the third to grab the early lead. Ashlyn Watson scored on an error as Gillette attempted to gun down Shanel Scott stealing second, but the throw got past Zacher. Stephanie Nicholson followed with an RBI single to extend the lead to 2-0.
The Cowgirls added to their lead in the sixth with an RBI triple from Tara Jeffery that plated Dominique Van Nortwick. The final Oklahoma State tally came in the seventh, when Nicholson delivered another run-scoring base hit to bring in pinch-runner Lacy Darity.
Cowgirl starter Jessica Hoppock carried a no-hitter into the seventh inning before UW’s Ricci Robben connected on a double to the gap in right-center. Gillette then ended Hoppock’s shutout bid with an RBI double.
The Badgers returned to their winning ways later Saturday evening with a 4-3 win over host Tulsa. Three Wisconsin home runs and another strong performance from Brock allowed the Badgers to overcome a late Tulsa rally. The three long balls matched a UW single-game record set six days earlier at the Palm Springs Classic.
Anastasia Miller opened the power surge by launching her third home run of the season in the top of the second, giving Wisconsin a 1-0 lead.
Meghann Reiss connected on a two-run shot in the fourth to push the lead to 3-0, and Gillette went yard in the sixth to chase Fennell and secure the victory.
Tulsa plated three unanswered runs to make things interesting, but the Badgers held on for the win.
The Mean Green of North Texas ended the Badgers’ bid for the Invitational title Sunday morning, handing Wisconsin a 3-1 loss. After entering the tournament with a 3-13 record, the Mean Green rattled off four wins on the weekend.
North Texas got to Layne in the top of the third, as No. 9 hitter Katya Muller launched a solo shot to give the Mean Green a 1-0 lead. The third-inning barrage continued with three consecutive singles, including an RBI knock from Susan Waters. When the dust settled, the Mean Green led 2-0 and Gallagher had pulled Layne in favor of Brock.
Wisconsin answered in the bottom of the fourth, when Robben scored on an RBI single from Gillette.
However, in the top of the fifth, Waters drove in Katy Maxey from third to push the lead back to two.
Men’s track: In its final tune-up before the NCAA Indoor Championships, the Wisconsin men’s track team recorded two NCAA provisional qualifying marks over the weekend at the Alex Wilson Invitational.
On the first day of competition, the distance medley relay team of Josh Spiker, Jvontai Hanserd, Dan Murray and Chris Solinsky logged a provisional time of 9:36.20. The mark was the ninth-fastest time in the nation this season.
On day two, Junior Rick Bellford earned Wisconsin’s second provisional mark in the triple jump with a first-place leap of 52 feet, 1/2 inch. The distance was a personal best for Bellford, pulling the junior even with Alonzo Moore for No. 11 on the national qualifier list.
Other impressive second-day showings include Hanserd’s fifth-place finish in the 200 meters and senior Darren Niedermeyer’s fifth-place mark in the pole vault.
Women’s track: The UW women’s track team picked up a provisional qualifying mark of its own at the Alex Wilson Invitational.
Sophomore Katrina Rundhaug did the honors with a first-place finish in the 5,000 meters. However, Rundhaug’s mark of 16 minutes, 29.10 seconds did not improve her existing qualifying time of 16:26.45, which she set earlier in the year.
Sophomore Shuntia Lucas also turned in a strong performance at the meet, setting a school record in the 200 meters with a time of 24.28. It was the third time this season and the second time in the past two weeks that Lucas has eclipsed the UW mark. Her 24.28 run edged the 24.30 she recorded last weekend.
Other top-10 finishes included a sixth-place run in the distance medley relay and a ninth-place leap from Michelle Bellford in the triple jump.
Men’s tennis: The Badgers (3-7, 0-4 Big Ten) continued their conference struggles Saturday with a 4-3 loss to Iowa (7-1, 1-0 Big Ten) in Iowa City, Iowa.
Wisconsin’s No. 1 doubles pairing of Alex and Lachezar Kasarov took down Iowa’s top tandem of Kyle Markham and Brett Taylor 8-6, but UW losses at the No. 2 and No. 3 flights gave the doubles point to the Hawkeyes.
The Kasarov brothers continued their winning ways in singles play, as Lachezar defeated J. P. Ritchie 6-4, 6-1 in the No. 3 singles match and Alex fought back after losing the first set to overcome Chaitu Malempati 3-6, 7-5, 6-2 out of the No. 1 flight.
Coming off a loss in the No. 3 doubles match alongside doubles mate Elliott Bisnow, freshman phenom Jeremy Sonkin cruised to a straight-sets victory over Markham 6-3, 6-3 at No. 2 singles.
The decisive match came in the No. 4 singles flight, where freshman Felipe Bellido dropped a marathon decision against Iowa’s Bart von Monsjou. Monsjou took the first set 6-3, but Bellido rallied to claim the second set 7-5. With the contest hanging in the balance, Monsjou pulled out the third set 6-4 to take the match and give Iowa the victory.
Men’s golf: Sophomore Garret Jones finished second overall at the St. Croix Classic over the weekend with a three-round total of 212 (72-70-70). Jones’ final-round 70, which matched the lowest round of the day, vaulted the sophomore eight spots on the leader board after he entered the final 18 holes in a 10th-place tie. The Badger sophomore finished one stroke off the lead, as Texas-San Antonio’s John Elisando held on for the win.
Jones’ impressive final round helped Wisconsin move up three spots over the final 18 holes to finish 12th. The Badgers record a 296 in the closing round, one of just six teams to come in under the 300-stroke mark on the final day. With the impressive closing round, Wisconsin finished with a three-round total of 897 (307-294-296), 29 strokes off the lead. Host Xavier won the Classic with a total score of 868.
Jones earned a runner-up finish for the second time in his collegiate career. His three-round total of 212 is his second-lowest career score, eight strokes off his career-best 204 at last fall’s Xavier Invitational.
Ryan Conn was the Badgers’ next-highest finisher, taking 66th with a 54-hole total of 230 (77-72-81).
—compiled from staff reports
