Heading into the weekend, the Wisconsin softball team had yet to win a game on their home field. After losing their Friday game against Penn State by a score of 7-0, a successful weekend did not look promising. However, UW put together three strong performances over the next two days, beating Penn State 4-2 Saturday and taking both ends of a double header Sunday.
Senior Sunday couldn’t have gone any better for the Badgers, as they played two outstanding games, edging Ohio State 5-4 in the first game and winning 6-0 in the second.
“It was great for the seniors. It was a good way for them to go out,” sophomore Katie Layne said.
The Badgers got strong performances Sunday from senior Erin Barnharst, 5-for-7 on the day, senior Andrea Kirchberg, who threw a complete game in game one, and sophomore Katie Layne, who pitched a complete game shutout in game two.
“I was so proud of Katie Layne. I think she pitched probably the best game of her career today,” head coach Karen Gallagher said.
The Badgers’ first game against Ohio State was a thriller in which the Badgers staged a seventh inning comeback to force extra innings, finally winning 5-4 in the bottom of the eighth. UW grabbed an early 1-0 lead in the game on Meghann Reiss’s home run over the right center field wall in the bottom of the second. Later in the inning, with two on and one out, Kris Zacher hit a line drive to left field, scoring sophomores Natalie Phillips and Boo Gillete.
But the Buckeyes battled back, tying the game in the top of the fourth and taking their only lead of the game in the top of the sixth when a ball bounced off shortstop Kris Zacher’s leg, enabling junior Beth McAbier to score.
Trailing 4-3 in the seventh, UW rallied when Erin Barnharst reached base after being hit by a pitch and Diana Consolmagno’s bunt was mishandled. Sophomore Anastasia Miller drilled a ball deep into left center, sending Barnharst home for the score. Confusion ensued, however, as Consolmagno was thrown out at home and Miller at third base. The umpires had not realized the game was tied and promptly ran off the field declaring OSU the winner. After the umpires re-appeared five minutes later, the Badgers and Buckeyes were set for extra innings.
“They’ve been playing like this the last few weekends, where they have been coming back and not giving up. It shows a lot of character,” Gallagher said.
UW took the win in the bottom of the eighth. With the bases loaded and no outs, Zacher drove a ball into center field, allowing Reiss to score the game’s winning run.
Sunday’s second game wasn’t nearly as close as the Badgers controlled it from the start. UW came out strong, scoring three quick runs in the top of the second inning, setting the pace for the rest of the game.
Barnharst, who was a perfect 4-for-4 in game two, got on base first with a single to left field.
“Erin has really worked hard for two years here, and she’s really come up big for us. She was kind of a spark plug for us today,” Gallagher said.
Consolmagno followed with a bunt to the pitcher, who was unable to make the out. Miller, who had three RBI’s in the second game, drilled a home run over the left field fence, giving the Badgers a 3-0 lead.
In the fifth inning, UW scored another run off of a single by Consolmagno. Consolmagno also had a good day for the Badgers going 2-for-3 in the second game. In the seventh inning Consolmagno got her second home run of the year as she smacked the ball over the center field wall, scoring Barnharst and giving the Badgers a 6-0 advantage.
“It was senior weekend and parents weekend; we just wanted to have fun and I think we did what we had to do,” Consolmagno said of the Badgers’ strong play Sunday.
By the end of the weekend UW was playing some of its best softball of the season despite the weekend’s slow start.
Friday the Badgers failed to score against Penn State, eventually losing 7-0. In the top of the third, Penn State got on the board with three-straight hits and a double steal, helping them jump to an early 3-0 lead. The Badgers got one hit on the day when senior Mandy Liles hit a shot up the middle in the bottom of the fourth. But Penn State was too strong for UW, scoring four more runs in the top of the sixth.
While the Badgers started off slow Friday, it didn’t take them long to get going on Saturday, scoring three runs in the top of the first inning off of a number of Penn State errors. Penn State responded quickly, though, scoring a run of their own in the bottom of the first off senior Erin Norton’s double into left field.
But the Badgers held on. In the top of the third, Erin Barnharst scored UW’s fourth and final run of the game. The Nittany Lions also scored their final run of the game in the third as senior Kelley Galigher’s single to right field sent Junior Barbie Pierce home.
While neither team scored again, Penn State had a chance, with two runners on base and two outs in the bottom of the sixth. Andrea Kirchberg faced pinch hitter Katie Stauffer with a 3-2 count; the first pitch was fouled off by Stauffer, giving Kirchberg another chance to close out the inning. And Kirchberg did just that, catching the inside corner of the plate for the strikeout.
The Badgers continue home play this week at the Goodman Diamond as they take on Illinois-Chicago Wednesday at 5 p.m.
